Earthquake and Tsunami in Indonesia

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred off the central Indonesian Island of Sulawesi on 28 September triggering a tsunami with 3 metre high waves.

At least 844 people are reported to have lost their lives, 600 have been hospitalized and almost 50,000 people have been displaced. Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has said the final death toll could be in the thousands.

The worst affected areas were the city of Palu where buildings and other infrastructure with rescuers still unable to reach the Donggala regency where 300,000 reside.

Relief efforts lead by the Indonesian red Cross are assisting in the evacuation of survivors and delivering food and water. A damaged airport, impassable roads and damaged powerlines have hampered efforts to assist remote regions.

Related News and Resources

• Products published by Copernicus EMS (Copernicus)
• The Copernicus EMS Supports Monitoring of Deadly Earthquake and Tsunami in Indonesia (Copernicus)
• Indonesia tsunami: Death toll rises to nearly 1,350 (BBC)
• Sulawesi earthquake damaged more than 5,146 buildings (ANTARA)
• Satellite Image Monitoring, 5,000 Damaged Buildings in Palu and Donggala (detikinet)
• Sentinel-2 maps Indonesia earthquake (ESA)
• NASA's ARIA Maps Indonesia Quake, Tsunami Damage (NASA)