Access to people affected extremely difficult

Malteser International’s assessment team has landed in Jakarta on Wednesday to discuss relief efforts with local partners as Indonesia responds to the devastating 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi on Friday, September 28. Access to affected populations remains challenging.

“The severe infrastructural damage has made the task of getting relief supplies to the disaster-hit regions much harder, and the people there are facing extreme suffering as a result,” reports Nicole Müller, who is leading Malteser International’s assessment mission in Indonesia. “Many roads are impassable and there is a major shortage of fuel. Our local partners told us that they have to drive for up to five hours in order to fill up their fuel tanks. The airport and seaports have also sustained damages.”Many regions still remain cut off from assistance.

The Malteser International team continues to make all necessary efforts to ensure that aid is delivered to the people in the affected areas as soon as access is possible. Relief measures are being coordinated by the Indonesian disaster management agency (BNPB).
At least 1,424 people are so far reported to have died from the disaster.