Indonesia dispatch: Desperation in Donggala on road to Palu as tsunami victims struggle for survival

As night fell on the road to Palu the drivers of the aid trucks faced a dreadful dilemma: press on and risk being looted by the desperate victims of the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami – or sit tight, and wait for daybreak.

With no street lights to illuminate the winding coast road and local television showing scenes of rising frustration among the survivors of Friday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake, the police advice was clear: stay put.

And with the tropical sun sinking fast, the news that more than 1,000 criminals had escaped from local jails after the earthquake did nothing to settle the nerves.

"I’m too scared to go on tonight. I just want to help people. I don’t want to be a victim of looters,"…

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