Death toll rises in Indonesia earthquake, tsunami disaster

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake and the tsunami it generated struck Palu and nearby areas on central Sulawesi island. Photo / AP

Indonesia's disaster agency says the death toll from an earthquake and tsunami disaster on a central island is now 1,234.

Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho updated the figure at a news conference in Jakarta today.

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake and the tsunami it generated struck Palu and nearby areas on central Sulawesi island.

Nugroho said 799 people are severely injured.

He said the communities of Sigi and Balaroa have not been counted yet, meaning the toll is likely to rise.

- AP