The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia is taking action to soon bring 10 Vietnamese students out of Palu, which was hit by a strong earthquake and tsunami on September 28, to Jakarta.

Vietnamese students in Palu gather at Palu airport.

The embassy has sent official dispatches to Indonesia’s authorised offices, while Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang has contacted the Deputy Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of Indonesia to ask for support.

The students were brought to Palu airport and have been provided with food and drink to await for their transfer to Jakarta.

However, the Indonesian side said the damaged airport has yet to resume normal operations. At present, military flights transporting injured victims and the elderly and relief supplies are being prioritised.

The embassy is keeping contact with the students, while asking Indonesian authorities to arrange a flight for them as soon as possible.

Spokesman of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Spetember 30 that rescuers were searching for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami who may be buried under collapsed buildings and hotels.

About 50 tourists, including one from the Republic of Korea (RoK), were said to be trapped inside the debris of the Roa Roa hotel, Nugroho stated.

Search and rescue activities are facing many difficulties due to power cuts and a lack of excavators, he added.

Relief aid continues to be provided for Indonesia after the deadly earthquake and tsunami.

The RoK Foreign Ministry on September 30 committed USD 1 million to help victims and reconstruction work in Indonesia. The ministry also plans to send a working group to assist in search and rescue missions.

In a letter sent to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, RoK President Moon Jae-in extended his condolences to Indonesian people, hoping the search and rescue work would be successful.

On the same day, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping also sent a letter of condolences to Widodo, in which he affirmed China is willing to provide support for Indonesia.

The Australian government also vowed to help Indonesia recover after the earthquake and tsunami.

Suwelasi island was ravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scale on September 28. A tsunami struck after the second quake in the afternoon of the same day.

The BNPB announced on September 30 afternoon the death toll had risen to 832. Around 820 victims have been found in Palu and the rest, in Donggala.

Meanwhile, 540 others were injured and are receiving treatment at hospitals. The disaster has also displaced more than 16,000 people taking shelter at 24 camps across the region./.

VNF/VNS