PALU, Indonesia: Indonesian rescue workers have discovered the bodies of 34 students killed when a mudslide caused by Friday’s quake on Sulawesi island engulfed their church, a local rescue official said.
“A total of 34 bodies were found by the team,” Indonesia Red Cross spokeswoman Aulia Arriani told AFP Tuesday, adding that 86 students had initially been reported missing from a Bible camp at the Jonooge Church Training Center in Sigi Biromaru district.
Arriani said rescuers faced an arduous trek to reach the mudslide and retrieve the victims.
“The most challenging problem is traveling in the mud as much as 1.5 hours by foot while carrying the bodies to an ambulance,” she said.
Central Sulawesi was devastated by a quake and tsunami on Friday evening, killing at least 844 people. A major tsunami smashed into the seaside city of Palu, sweeping away buildings, trees, cars and those unlucky enough to lie in its path.
But there are fears the overall toll will mount significantly once more isolated regions have been reached.
Mountainous Sigi Biromaru district is one of those more remote regions, lying to the southeast of Palu city.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation but there are small pockets of religious minorities, including Christians, across the archipelago.
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34 bodies discovered inside church, 52 missing — Red Cross
34 bodies discovered inside church, 52 missing — Red Cross
- Central Sulawesi was devastated by a quake and tsunami on Friday evening, killing at least 844 people
China hits US defense firms with sanctions over arms sales to Taiwan
BEIJING: China’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on Friday targeting 10 individuals and 20 US defense firms, including Boeing’s St. Louis branch, over arms sales to Taiwan.
The measures freeze any assets the companies and individuals hold in China and bar domestic organizations and individuals from doing business with them, the ministry said.
Individuals on the list, including the founder of defense firm Anduril Industries and nine senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are also banned from entering China, it added.
Other companies targeted include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and L3Harris Maritime Services.
The move follows Washington’s announcement last week of $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever US weapons package for the island, drawing Beijing’s ire.
“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
“Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China,” the statement said, urging the US to cease “dangerous” efforts to arm the island.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China.
The measures freeze any assets the companies and individuals hold in China and bar domestic organizations and individuals from doing business with them, the ministry said.
Individuals on the list, including the founder of defense firm Anduril Industries and nine senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are also banned from entering China, it added.
Other companies targeted include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and L3Harris Maritime Services.
The move follows Washington’s announcement last week of $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever US weapons package for the island, drawing Beijing’s ire.
“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
“Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China,” the statement said, urging the US to cease “dangerous” efforts to arm the island.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China.
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