Hundreds Dead After Tsunami, Quake

The toll in Indonesia from an earthquake-triggered tsunami is just starting to become clear, and it's getting worse by the hour. On the island of Sulawesi, nearly 400 were killed in the city of Palu alone, reports the BBC. Palu has a population of 380,000 people, and the toll there is expected to grow. Nearby cities and towns such as Donggala were similarly devastated, but relief crews have been unable to reach them yet, reports the AP. The 7.5-magnitude quake struck around dusk Friday, and it set off a tsunami at least 10 feet high that toppled buildings as it came ashore. Reuters has the estimate at 18 feet high. The BBC has video here.

"We hope there will be international satellites crossing over Indonesia that can capture images and provide them to us so we can use the images to prepare humanitarian aid," says a disaster agency spokesman. In the meantime, hospitals are overwhelmed with the injured. Many of the victims were swept away while on the beach, preparing for a major festival in Palu. “The tsunami didn’t come by itself, it dragged cars, logs, houses, it hit everything on land,” says the disaster official. (More tsunami stories.)