Australia will send more than 50 medical professionals to Indonesia to help with the aftermath of a devastating and deadly earthquake as part of a $5 million aid package.
After a devastating 7.5 quake struck central Sulawesi on Friday, triggering a tsunami, more than 1,300 people have been killed.
This has prompted Australia to send emergency healthcare support to the region.
‘We will be working very closely with the Indonesian government to make sure that the support we are providing is highly targeted,’ Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.
Members of the Search and Rescue team work through the rubble of buildings brought down by the deadly earthquake
Australia is considering further support for the disaster, with the death toll expected to rise and millions affected by the crisis
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is continuing talks with President Joko Widodo about possible further support
Australia is considering further support for the disaster, with the death toll expected to rise and millions affected by the crisis.
‘I understand that there are significant challenges from liquefaction, so solid earth turning effectively into quicksand,’ Senator Payne said.
‘That makes movement and engagement very difficult.’
Senator Payne has been in contact with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi and Prime Minister Scott Morrison is continuing talks with President Joko Widodo about possible further support.
It is thought there are more than 1,300 people dead, missing, or injured after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi on Friday
Residents of Petobo walk through the mud to inspect the damage to their homes after the devastating disaster
Australia has pledged to send more than 50 medical professionals to Indonesia to help with the aftermath of Friday’s devastation
A local is pictured trawling through the rubbish and debris in Palu in an attempt to recover some of his lost possessions
‘That will be considered on a case-by-case basis,’ the foreign minister said.
The latest package is on top of $500,000 given to the Indonesian Red Cross for the most obvious emergency aid needs, such as tarpaulins.
Mr Morrison said it was a ‘very, very significant crisis’ and Australia’s support won’t only be aimed at short-term relief.
‘The sort of responses we are going to be making, won’t just deal with what is needed right today, but over some period of time as well,’ he said.
The quake brought down hotels, shopping malls and countless houses in Palu, while tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet) scoured its beachfront shortly afterwards.
Families have been forced to comb through body bags in an attempt to identify their missing relatives.
Nearly 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Palu alone, and hospitals were overwhelmed.
The latest package is on top of $500,000 given to the Indonesian Red Cross for the most obvious emergency aid needs, such as tarpaulins
Families have been forced to comb through body bags in an attempt to identify their missing relatives
A man hugs his daughter in an emotional reunion after both survived the disaster. Relatives are continuing their desperate search for missing family members
Nearly 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Palu alone, and hospitals were overwhelmed
People queue for gasoline following a massive earthquake and tsunami at a gas station in Palu, Central Sulawesi