Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The death toll from last week's severe earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia rose to more than 1,400 Wednesday, with thousands missing.
As rescuers search through the rubble, with some of the worst-hit areas still being difficult to access, Indonesia disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho warned the death toll could still grow.
"We expect this data to continue to change," Nughroho said.
He said more than 6,000 people are part of the rescue effort after the 7.5-magnitude quake Friday that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and generated an 18-foot tsunami wave.
A volcano erupted on the same island, adding to the disaster area as ash spewed 20,000 feet into the air. Another volcano, Son of Krakatoa in Java, Indonesia, also erupted, officials said.
Aid planes have reached Palu, which was hardest-hit by the tsunami, and air evacuations have taken place around 600 miles southwest of the volcano in Central Sulawesi, but authorities said the ash could affect air travel again.
No casualties have been reported from the volcanic eruptions, the Guardian reported.
Meanwhile, resources are still scarce in Palu and people have lined the streets with signs begging for food and water. More than 70,000 people have been displaced, officials said.
Entire neighborhoods have been swept away by soil rivers following the quake and tsunami due to liquefaction, where soil saturated with water becomes a fast-moving stream.
