S

everely wounded victims of an earthquake in Lindu district, Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, were airlifted by helicopter on Tuesday to a hospital to receive medical treatment in the provincial capital of Palu.

The helicopter was deployed as access to the district was blocked by landslides caused by the earthquake on Saturday, which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. As of Tuesday afternoon, the search and rescue team had not been able to reach the disaster site in Lindu district by road.

Lindu district head Karso said when he visited the victims at a command post in Gumbasa district in Sigi, that the victims would be transported to Madani hospital in Palu, which is located 50 kilometers from the command post. The three victims were identified as Senfi, Randi and Mrs. Darsono. They were flown in two different flights by the helicopter, which belongs to a foundation.

The victims were wounded after being hit by falling debris from damaged houses during the earthquake. They hailed from Tomado village, the capital of Lindu district.

Another victim, identified as Robin from Poro’o village in Lindu district, turned down an evacuation by the medical team, citing fear of having his leg amputated by doctors.

The medical team, which managed to reach Lindu district by helicopter, continued taking inventory of the victims, especially those who needed further medical treatment at the hospital.

According to the latest data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), at least four people were killed by the earthquake disaster in Lindu, a resident has been declared as missing, and up to 16 villages were destroyed.

At Poro’o village, at least 85 houses were severely damaged, while another 98 houses were partly destroyed. At Tomado village, 118 houses were damaged, while in Anca village, 84 were houses were damaged.

Aside from deploying the medical team and evacuating the victims, the helicopter was also used to deliver aid to the site.

The assistance, which has already been delivered, included 204 mattresses, 150 pieces of tarpaulin, 200 blankets, 10 boxes of canned fish, 12 packages of children’s necessities and 10 bags of kitchen utensils. The victims also received 10 boxes of cooking oil, 570 kilograms of rice, 100 boxes of instant noodles, 200 kilograms of sugar and 30 boxes of mineral water.

The medical team, deployed to Lindu district, consisted of five doctors and seven paramedics from Hasanuddin University.

Aside from hitting Lindu, the earthquake also damaged several other districts, including Kulawi and Gumbasa in Sigi regency. Assistance has also been delivered to those districts.