Indonesia tsunami: How Palu became a death trap – and why the magnitude of waves was ‘surprising’

Perched on an arc of volcanoes and fault lines called the "Ring of Fire", Indonesia is used to earthquakes.

But nothing had prepared the hundreds of festival-goers on the beach of Palu for the ever-growing wall of water that swept down the bay on Friday, triggered by the 7.5 magnitude quake.

More than 850 have been confirmed dead already, but the death toll is feared to be in the thousands. Hundreds died in Palu while rescuers are still searching the ruins and wreckage for more bodies and survivors along the northeastern coast of Sulawesi island. 

Emergency services still haven’t even been able to make contact with the cities of Donggala and Mamuju. 

Amid the grief there is also anger and confusion…

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