One of the worst disasters to hit our Mother Earth recently struck Indonesia this past weekend when an earthquake and tsunami killed more than 800 confirmed dead that was expected to rise in numbers before the tragedy ended.
The area was cut off by damaged roads and downed communications lines so military and commercial aircraft were delivering some aid and supplies to the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi and others in the region.
A mass grave was being dug for at least 300 of the dead, but it was not immediately known when the burial would take place. For health and religious reasons, it was expected to be as soon as possible.
This was the latest natural disaster to strike Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that reportedly killed 230,000 people in some dozen countries. Recently, a quake on the island of Lobok killed 505 people in August.
Indonesia consists of 17,000 islands that could stretch across the Atlantic Ocean. It is home to some 260 million people.
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