PALU, Oct 5: Indonesia said Friday the death toll from a powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi a week ago has risen to 1,558.

As rescue and recovery efforts continue, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said 113 others remain missing, with the number of people displaced following the magnitude 7.5 quake and ensuing tsunami unchanged at 70,821.

Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, and the nearby coastal town of Donggala are two of the worst-hit areas where most of the deaths have occurred after bearing the brunt of the tsunami waves up to 3 meters high.

As many locals desperately wait for basic supplies and other kinds of help, national police said Thursday evening that 42 people have been arrested for allegedly looting minimarts, shops or vehicles carrying humanitarian assistance.

Indonesia sits in one of the world's most active seismic regions in which a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

 
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