Red Cross specialist ambulance crews and first aid teams are treating people injured in the earthquake. Over 630 have been injured, dozens killed and more than 15,000 displaced according to the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Indonesian Red Cross Secretary General, Sudirman Said, said:
“This is a most tragic earthquake and our specialist teams have been working through the night to help people amid the rubble. Our first priority is to search for survivors and tend to the wounded.
“These hours are critical for saving lives. We are working double time to help injured survivors, keep them safe from COVID-19 and provide relief to the thousands who have been displaced from their homes.”
The Indonesian Red Cross is rushing more critical medical and relief supplies by plane and land to the earthquake-affected areas. Ambulance crews have been sent along with another 92 volunteers, clean water tankers and production units, tarpaulins for shelter, face masks plus 200 family relief kits to help survivors.
Head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Indonesia Country Office, Jan Gelfand, said:
“It breaks my heart to see the carnage caused by this tragic earthquake, which has flattened a hospital and hundreds of homes.
“This earthquake is a brutal blow for the people of Sulawesi in the middle of a deadly COVID-19 pandemic. It is a matter of life and death to help survivors stay safe from this disease.”
source: IFRC
