Palu facing dire straits as rains threaten to spread malaria

Picking up the pieces: Indonesians working on a damaged bridge hit by the earthquake-tsunami in Palu. — AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s quake-tsunami battered city of Palu is facing a public health crisis as torrential rains threaten to spread malaria and dengue fever to the devastated region a month after the disaster, aid agencies have warned.

On Sept 28, a magnitude 7.5 quake and a subsequent tsunami razed swathes of Palu on Sulawesi island, killing some 2,200 people and displacing more than 220,000.