Alert: Islamic Relief deploys team to Indonesia earthquake as thousands made homeless

** Spokespeople are available in Indonesia

An Islamic Relief team is on its way to areas affected by the devastating earthquake that struck West Sulawesi, Indonesia.

At least 34 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred at 1am local time. The full extent of the damage is still emerging and the number of casualties is expected to rise. An estimated 15,000 people are being housed in temporary shelters.

Islamic Relief is set to distribute water, food and other vital aid, and help evacuate the wounded.

“Thousands of people have fled their homes, hundreds of buildings have been damaged or destroyed and many hospitals have been evacuated. It’s a challenge to reach the affected areas as landslides have occurred, roads are blocked and electricity and phones lines are down. People are panicking about possible aftershocks that might trigger a tsunami. “We have deployed a team to the area, which will start by distributing water, food parcels, tarpaulin, blankets and face masks, as the spread of Covid-19 is a huge risk in such a chaotic and crowded disaster zone. We are also providing vehicles to help evacuate the wounded to get medical treatment.”

Islamic Relief is closely coordinating with local partners Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority, which is coordinating the overall response.