More than 1,000 people still lost in Sulawesi

News24xx.com -  National Search and Aid Agency (Basarnas) is currently focusing on finding about 1,000 victims whose fate has yet to be discovered. This figure is estimated from the number of houses buried by mud.

More than a thousand people are still declared missing following a double disaster in Central Sulawesi. While the number of deaths recorded so far has now reached 1,558, according to the National SAR Agency.

"We estimate that there are more than a thousand buried houses, so maybe more than 1,000 people are still missing," Yusuf Latif, Basarnas spokesman said.

"But we are not sure because there is a possibility that some people managed to get out," he added. Previously the government estimated that only 100 people were missing.

Meanwhile the flow of aid from abroad began to arrive in the disaster area. The United Nations (UN) records nearly 200,000 survivors needing humanitarian assistance. Some frustrated invaded aid shops and trucks. As a result, security forces were stationed to guard and shoot looters.

"Yesterday we still detected heartbeat and respiratory signs, there was no other movement, meaning that the person could not move," said Philippe Besson, President of the International Fire Department. "Today we did not detect anything," he added.

A week after the disaster, the main roads were still unable to pass. 

Residents begin to place a white flag outside the house to indicate that a family member has died.

Even so life slowly returned to normal in Palu. Children began to be seen playing on the road, the radio frequency again voiced entertainment songs and the electricity supply gradually recovered.

"Everything is getting better," said Azhari Samad, a resident of Palu. But so that the disaster area can fully recover, "it will take years," he said.

"The first six months will be very traumatic, maybe one year. The government will help, other people from all over the country will also come to help. Indonesians have a great day."