NZDF evacuates Indonesian earthquake survivors

Survivors from the quake-ravaged city of Palu huddle inside a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules, which evacuated them to the port city of Balikpapan on 5 October.

The New Zealand Defence Force is continuing to help evacuate survivors and transport aid and emergency responders to the quake-ravaged Indonesian city of Palu.

The NZDF has delivered more than 18 tonnes of aid and evacuated 120 quake survivors from Palu so far.

Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and a 14-member NZDF detachment were scheduled to make two aid flights to Palu today.

'Although aid has started to arrive in Palu, the trail of destruction left by the earthquake and tsunami means thousands are in urgent need for shelter, food, water and fuel,” says Major General Gall.

'We have been working with the Indonesian authorities and our international partners to help the thousands of survivors by providing an air bridge between Balikpapan and Palu and evacuate as many people as possible out of the disaster zones.”

Multinational operations to fly aid supplies to disaster zones are being staged out of Balikpapan, a port city in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province, which is about 380 kilometres west of Palu.

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