Liquefaction Adds to Devastation in Palu Earthquake

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4 October 2018 12:36 WIB

Debris and damaged houses are seen in Petobo Village, Indonesia October 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from a social media drone video. Liquefied soil caused numerous buildings to collapse in the Indonesian city of Palu after Friday's magnitude 7.5 earthquake, which has killed more than 1,400 people. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Debris and damaged property are seen following an earthquake in Petobo, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, October 3, 2018, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Here's a brief explanation of liquefaction, how common it is, and where it is likely to happen. Liquefaction is a phenomenon where saturated sand and silt take on the characteristics of a liquid during the intense shaking of an earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey website. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Debris and damaged houses are seen in Petobo Village, Indonesia October 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from a social media drone video. It takes place when a quake has increased water pressure in saturated soil and made particles in the soil lose contact with each other, making the soil - particularly sandy soil - act like liquid. The effect has been likened to slapping a wet, hard beach and the sand beneath your palm becomes jelly. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Debris and damaged houses are seen in Petobo Village, Indonesia October 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from a social media drone video. In the Palu neighborhood of Balaroa, about 1,700 houses were swallowed up when the earthquake caused soil to liquefy, the national rescue agency said. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Debris and damaged houses are seen in Petobo Village, Indonesia October 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from a social media drone video. Satellite images of the Petobo district, south of Palu's airport, showed another large area of urban development seemingly wiped clear of buildings. "When the quake hit, the layers below the surface of the earth became muddy and loose," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesias national disaster mitigation agency. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB

Debris and damaged houses are seen in Petobo Village, Indonesia October 3, 2018 in this still image obtained from a social media drone video. "Mud with such large mass volume drowned and dragged the housing complex in Petobo so that most of them became as if they were absorbed. We estimate 744 units of houses are there." Among those killed were 34 children at a Christian bible study camp that was hit by liquefaction, a Red Cross official said. Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross)/via REUTERS

4 Oktober 2018 00:00 WIB