Mass Grave Dug To Bury Indonesia Earthquake Victims

A mass burial of earthquake and tsunami victims has begun in Indonesia, as the need for heavy equipment to dig for survivors of the disaster grows increasingly desperate.

The toll of more than 800 dead is largely from the city of Palu and is expected to rise as areas cut off by the damage are reached.

Dozens of people are feared to be underneath

the rubble of one hotel alone, the Roa-Roa in the devastated coastal resort of Palu.

The grave being dug in Palu will be 10 metres by 100 metres and can be enlarged if needed, said Willem Rampangilei, chief of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

"This must be done as soon as possible for health and religious reasons," he said.

Indonesia is  majorly Muslim, and religious custom calls for burials soon after death, typically within one day.