npr:

Emergency crews are still trying to find victims of an earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi, killing at least 1,200 people, according to local media citing government officials.

The death toll could rise even higher, officials warn, as workers clear debris, rubble and vehicles that were swept away by a massive wave of seawater on Friday.

The tsunami was triggered by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck along the coastal district of Donggala on Friday. Most of the dead were found in nearby Palu, a city of nearly 300,000 where an onlooker took a video of the seawater raging ashore just after 5 p.m., local time.

Relief and rescue efforts have been hampered by communication and transportation problems in the stricken region. The damage caused landslides and forced Palu’s international airport to close for at least one full day.

Indonesian Tsunami: Death Toll Hits 1,200; Survivors Desperate For Aid

Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images