INDONESIA, Sept 29: At least 30 people were killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake followed by a massive tsunami hit the coastal city of Palu in Indonesia.

A tsunami of up to two meter high hit Palu early Friday, after the city was shaken by a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

However, a hospital official told Metro TV that at least 30 people were killed in the disaster, and that at least 12 other people required orthopedic surgery.

The disaster caused power cuts, interrupting communications, significantly thwarting rescue efforts, Reuters reports. According to a report by Metro TV, the earthquake and the tsunami inflicted severe damange to infrastructure, including destroyed bridges, large cracks in roads and severely damaged buildings.

Local residents say there is still no evacuation underway in Palu.

As Sputnik reported earlier, the main airport on Sulawesi, Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport, is closed until Saturday evening due to the disaster, according to the Jakarta Globe newspaper.

 
• indonesia
 
• tsunami
 
• earthquake
 
• palu