Uncertainty in shelters after quake in Indonesia as deaths rise

PALU, Indonesia - People living in tents and shelters have little but uncertainty since the powerful earthquake and tsunami hit an Indonesian island, where deaths exceeded 1,400 and efforts to retrieve more victims buried deep in mud and rubble were still hampered on Thursday by the lack of heavy equipment.

Thousands more people were injured in the disasters in central Sulawesi last Friday and more than 70,000 were displaced from homes that were destroyed or damaged and lack power and water. They are unsure when they'll be able to rebuild and have been spending hours each day, often futilely, trying to secure necessities such as fuel for generators.

Most of the 1,424 confirmed dead have been buried, and national disaster agency spokesman Supoto Purwo Nugroho said at a news conference in Jakarta that the search effort is being intensified, including at a collapsed hotel in the city of Palu.