Indonesia tsunami: The shadow of death hangs over Palu
The Indonesian tsunami has been followed by death, looting and destruction, as desperate locals beg for help.
Tuesday 2 October 2018 16:37, UK
In northern Palu, Hasdim picks through the remains of his home after a tsunami devastated the Indonesian coastal city.
Reminders of happy family times lay ruined and mangled.
The tsunami wiped out 50 houses here, the owners are all gone.
Now Hasdim is looking for any scraps that can be salvaged or sold to help him survive.
When I ask what's left he tells me: "Everything has gone."
His street is next to the beach so was hit with the full force of the waves.
A boat has been tossed where homes once stood, prized cars are now battered and filled with sand, while a sad pink teddy stares up from the rubble.
We meet Zaenal who lives next door.
This natural disaster hasn't just taken his home. Ten of his relatives are dead and 70 neighbours drowned.
He says more bodies are buried in the ruins in front of us.
"We've had disaster but we haven't had any help. Why isn't the government helping us?" he cries, breaking down.
"Where is the support for us while we are suffering? We are the unlucky ones. We have already lost our relatives. Where is their heart?"
He introduces us to men in his family who are guarding the wreckage.
There may not seem like much to steal but people are desperate so they're taking turns keeping watch.
Up the road we see why, as we meet a crowd of people that are looting the local shop.
Food and water are running low so they grab what they can.
Lily tells me she has a dozen mouths to feed and what the government gives them isn't enough.
Fuel is also now a precious commodity as petrol stations run dry.
Queues snake for hours as people wait to fill their canisters.
We see young boys scoop out what they can from the tank, while adults jostle to get their share.
The lucky ones who can fill their vehicles join the exodus fleeing the city.
Terrified by days of aftershocks, they pack what they can and escape.
The main road out of the city is in total gridlock.
A traffic jam winds for hours up and down the hill as landslides block sections of the route, making the journey even more dangerous.
The shadow of death hangs over the city of Palu now.
Rescuers are still searching for survivors but as we watch another body is pulled out and zipped into a black body bag.
No-one has been found alive here today, and the death toll keeps on rising.
Still Hasna waits for news of her brother after his motorbike was found in the field.
"I find him, I will take him home and hold a proper funeral," she tells me.
Hope may be fading but until everyone is found the rescuers won't give up.
At a city hotel they search in the dark. Three people may still be alive here.
And after hundreds of deaths the people of Palu are desperately hoping for a miracle.