IMF offers condolences over Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi disaster

French members of the International Emergency Firefighters prepare to enter the badly damaged Mercure hotel for search and rescue operations in Palu in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi on October 4, 2018, following the September 28 earthquake and tsunami. A total of 1,411 people have been confirmed dead and over 2,500 injured after the monster earthquake struck on September 28 sending destructive waves barrelling into Sulawesi island. AFP

JAKARTA – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered condolences and an expression of support to the Indonesian government over the earthquake and tsunami that struck Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Sept. 28.

“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in Sulawesi a few weeks after the tragedy in Lombok,” IMF director for Asia and Pacific Changyong Rhee told The Jakarta Post in an interview in Jakarta on Wednesday, referring to earlier earthquakes that hit Lombok island, West Nusa Tenggara.

“Our managing director [Christine Lagarde] wants to deliver the IMF and her sincere condolences to the survivors, victims and families and to the government of Indonesia.”

The disaster in the Central Sulawesi provincial capital has claimed 1,234 lives, according to the latest National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) data, with the death toll expected to go up as rescue efforts have yet to spread to affected regions outside Palu.

The tragedy struck just as Indonesia is gearing up to host the IMF and World Bank Group annual meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, from Oct. 8 to 14, which is expected to be attended by around 15,000 people.

The government has said the annual meeting was still on schedule – with preparations entering their final stage, while Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said measures of disaster risk financing would also be discussed in the annual meeting.