• Nearly a thousand people are dead in Indonesia after a powerful earthquake and tsunami. The toll doubled over the weekend to 832 and is expected to rise further as rescuers comb through the rubble on the remote eastern island of Sulawesi. Nearly 17,000 people were left homeless in the main city, Palu, after an 18-foot wave destroyed the island on Friday. Indonesia straddles several tectonic plates and is highly prone to natural disasters. Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed around 230,000 lives across 14 countries, Indonesia has tried to upgrade its disaster response system.

Source: New York Times September 30, 2018 20:48 UTC