'I saw my wife swallowed up' - Indonesia earthquake victims relive horror
At least 1,234 people are now confirmed to have died in an earthquake which struck Indonesia on Friday, a disaster which also left hundreds of people missing and homeless. ITV News Correspondent John Irvine has been to visit Balaroa, a district of Palu city near to the earthquake's epicentre, which has effectively been wiped out.
"After the first tremor I told her to get our two children out of the house. Then the second tremor happened and she was literally swallowed by the earth by before my eyes."
This is the testimony of a man who watched as his wife was killed instantly by the Indonesian earthquake on Friday.
Himraggia told ITV News he is still searching for his family but is not optimistic of finding them.
He is one of many in Balaroa to have lost relatives during the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The district, which had a population of 900, has effectively ceased to exist after the neighbourhood was consumed by the land it sat on.
The earthquake was so strong that it moved a mountain which then flattened the affluent area beneath it.
Having surveyed the disastrous scenes, Indonesian authorities have warned that the overall death toll is likely to climb considerably higher.
Residents of Balaroa were sitting down to dinner when the earthquake struck.
Now the neat streets which led to a decorative mosque have been replaced by complete destruction.
An overpowering smell of rotting flesh of those hidden among rubble and land dominates the surroundings.
Emergency teams only reached the area on Tuesday, but they are not expecting to find any survivors.
They have seen many bodies but have insufficient equipment to salvage them.
Authorities, trying to cope with the numbers of deceased, have been forced to perform mass burials in the hills above Palu.
Many bodies are unclaimed but relatives of those missing know their loved ones will be among those buried amid some of the worst earthquake devastation the world has ever seen.
"It is scenes like this that persuade the powers that be to issue the statement the death toll is likely to rise," ITV News Correspondent John Irvine said.
"What has happened to this neighbourhood is one of the main reasons that the Indonesian government is predicting that the death toll from this double dose of natural disasters will run into thousands."
The power is out across Palu City, leaving the area in complete darkness once the sun goes down, which is hampered any potential searches.
There is also a severe lack of clean drinking water, something the authorities need to tackle immediately to avoid further devastation.
Locals are angered at how slowly aid has arrived into the country and the more remote areas impacted are still in need of help.
Many have been left to live in fear and terror, forced to sleep outside, having witnesses their homes crumble, awaiting the next aftershock.