22 October 2018•Update: 23 October 2018
JAKARTA
The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia last month has climbed to 2,256, according to the country’s national disaster agency.
As of Sunday, 2,256 people were killed and 223,751 displaced by the disaster, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency said.
The official research and rescue missions halted on Oct. 12 but voluntary rescue efforts are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the state of emergency will be effective until Oct. 26.
Last month, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Sulawesi Island, which triggered a tsunami in the cities of Donggala and Palu that towered up to 10 feet (3 meters) high.
Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean’s "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Reporting by Mahmut Atanur:Writing by Nilay Kar
