World
Indonesian Quake Toll Climbs Above 800, May Reach Thousands
- Vice President Kalla says death toll may climb dramatically
- Quake damages buildings, causes power, communication outage
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The death toll from a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi climbed to more than 800, with casualties expected to reach into the thousands as authorities try to reach those trapped under collapsed buildings.
Local media reports quoted Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla as saying that he expected the toll to grow as he drew comparisons between the latest quake and a tsunami that hit Indonesia’s Aceh province in 2004. About 832 people are confirmed dead and foreigners from Asia and Europe are among those reported missing, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman at National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said in a televised press conference on Sunday.