Calgary Indonesians fundraise for quake and tsunami victims

Calgary's small Indonesian community is busy fundraising to help tens of thousands ofinjured and displaced victims of a huge earthquake and tsunami.

The death toll on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has risen past 1,600, with thousands more injured and at least 70,000 displaced by the natural disaster which struck on Sept. 28.

Calgary's community of around 500 families hasbeen glued to phone screens and TVs following events back home in disbelief.

"I come from Sulawesi, but the south part,"saidHerlindaLanto. Palu, where the quake happened,is in the middle of the island.

In Palu, tsunami waves as high as six metressmashed into the beachfront, while hotels and shopping malls collapsed in ruins and some neighbourhoods were swallowed up by ground liquefaction.

"My uncle livesthere andwhen it happened we never heard anything from my uncle, but then two days ago we found out he had evacuated to my city Makassar," said Lanto, who has been following the news since the quake struck.

"There are dead bodies everywhere, and the smell, I can't imagine that happening," she said.

Hundreds are still missing on Sulawesi, including many buried in deep mud and debris from collapsed buildings following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

Last Wednesday, a volcano erupted on the same central island, spewing ash more than 6,000 metres into the sky and adding to the fear and uncertainty faced by residents.

Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, who has visited the city ofPaluto assess the situation, said it will take at least two years to rebuildthe disaster zone.

"A few hours after it happened I had it on my phone," said Eddie Sachri. "The pictures and everything you just don't believe it."

"I used to have some colleagues that lived in that area so I called to see if they're OKand mostly they were OK," he said.

Some stability is slowlyreturningto Palu, with some shopsreopening and electricity restored in parts of the city.

Sachri says the Indonesian community in Calgary is holding a fundraiser Mondayat the Indonesia Kitchen restaurant on International Avenue.

A bigger event is being planned for later this month.

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