A 7.5 earthquake hit Indonesia's central coastline in Sulawesi. The earthquake then triggered a 10 foot tsunami. Both events occurred back-to-back on Friday night, the Associated Press reported.
The capital of Central Sulawesi providence houses more than 380,000 people and is built arround a narrow bay that magnified the force of the tsunami waters.
According to disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, in Palu alone, 48 people have been reported dead and hundreds are injured, although he says "many victims" have yet to be accounted ford.
Search and rescue efforts have been difficult because the lack of power and telecommunications. To make things even worse, Palu's airport has a cracked runway and a damaged control tower.
According to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. has been in contact with the Indonesian government and "stand ready to provide support as required."
Here are some of the photos and videos coming in on social media:
#UPDATE At least 48 dead, 356 injured in Palu city alone as powerful earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia's central #Sulawesi island, according to disaster agency spokesman at press briefing https://t.co/AjJrD8SbdC pic.twitter.com/5JYPj8h1Vo
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) September 29, 2018
At least one person died and 10 were injured, according to Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency, after a series of earthquakes struck the island of Sulawesi on Friday afternoon. https://t.co/spWIXkumlt pic.twitter.com/pbJ6yV04tZ
— CNN International (@cnni) September 29, 2018
THE AFTERMATH | Scenes in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia after a tsunami triggered by a 7.5 magnitude hit the area. The powerful quake and the tsunami killed scores of people in the area. https://t.co/JWZTStQ35L (Wire photos) pic.twitter.com/QyQUTL34Al
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) September 29, 2018
This is a breaking news story. As more information comes in this post will be updated.