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Indonesia earthquake death toll exceeds 2,000 — authorities

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province on September 28

© EPA-EFE/MAST IRHAM

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Indonesia ready to accept international help in dealing with earthquake aftermath

MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. The death toll from the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi has reached 2,010, Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said at a briefing on Tuesday.

According to the official, "more than 10,600 local residents suffered injuries, 2,500 of them are in critical condition." Sutopo Purwo Nugroho pointed out that most bodies had been recovered in Palu, the capital of the Central Sulawesi province.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province on September 28. About 360 aftershocks were recorded. The earthquake unleashed a five to seven meter-high tsunami. However, Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics lifted a tsunami warning 30 minutes after issuing it as the agency’s equipment had failed to detect the approaching tsunami waves.

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