Relief aid started arriving in the more remote areas of Sulawesi island in Indonesia following last week-s magnitude-7.5 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that left at least 1,500 people dead, the Red Cross said on Saturday. Assistance was being provided by local authorities and non-governmental organisations in Donggala and other cut off areas such as Sigi, Red Cross spokesperson, Iris Van Deinse, told Efe news.

On Friday, the Red Cross distributed tarpaulins to 1,000 families in Donggala and Balaroa, one of the worst affected parts of Palu, the provincial capital, and where Red Cross has seven operating water trucks, Van Deinse added. A Red Cross helicopter and several others belonging to the Indonesian army were flying to inaccessible areas to provide food and basic supplies. Work on restoring the power supply to affected areas was ongoing.