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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Police act against looters as Indonesian quake survivors battle hunger, thirst |
| 2018-10-04 |
| [DAWN] More than 1,200 people are now known to have died in the quake-tsunami that smashed into Sulawesi, Indonesia said on Tuesday, as police pledged to clamp down on looting by survivors taking advantage of the chaos. There were reports of officers firing warning shots and tear gas to ward off people ransacking shops in Palu, a coastal city ravaged by a 7.5-magnitude quake and the tsunami it spawned. Survivors are battling thirst and hunger, with food and clean water in short supply, and local hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of injured. Police said on Tuesday that they had previously tolerated desperate survivors taking food and water from closed shops, but had now tossed in the clink Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! dozens of people for stealing computers and cash. Despite official assurances, desperation was evident on the streets of Palu, where survivors clambered through wreckage hunting for anything salvageable. Others crowded around daisy-chained power strips at the few buildings that still have electricity, or queued for water, cash or petrol being brought in via armed police convoy. |
| Posted by:Fred |