The bodies of 34 Indonesian students have been found under a church which was buried by a mudslide after the quake in Palu, aid workers have said. At least 844 people are confirmed to have died in the disaster, but the number is expected to rise as remote areas are reached.
The aid and rescue operation is being slowed by damaged infrastructure and continuing strong aftershocks.
There are fears some survivors may still be trapped under the rubble.
The students are part of a larger group of 86 students who had initially been reported missing from a Bible camp in the Jonooge Church Training Centre in Sigi Biromaru.
The whereabouts of the other 52 students are not known
The 34 bodies were found in Sigi Biromaru, just outside Palu, which was struck by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami on Friday.
Aid workers told the news agencies they were still in the process of retrieving the bodies, and were being hampered by mud.
“The mud conditions in that area are terrible, we have to walk about 1.5 hours to reach [the mudslide area], that makes it very difficult,” Ridwan Sobri, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Red Cross told the BBC.
Mr. Sobri said the identities and ages of the students could not yet be confirmed.
At a collapsed seven-storey hotel in Palu, rescuers are still hunting for survivors.
About 12 people have already been recovered from the ruins of the hotel building – only three came out alive.
“We have to be very careful so we don’t risk hurting any survivors when we move the debris,” the head of the rescue team, Agus Haryono, told Reuters.
An estimated 50 people were thought to be trapped in the Hotel Roa Roa when it collapsed on Friday.
Trump: FBI can question ‘anybody’ about Brett Kavanaugh
President Trump has said he wants the FBI to conduct a “very comprehensive investigation” into sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court nominee – but not a “witch hunt”.
READ ALSO: Foreign Titbits: Indonesia tsunami: Rescuers dig through rubble for survivors
US media reports earlier suggested the White House wanted to restrict the inquiry into Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Mr. Trump said he had requested that the FBI be given free rein, but added: “I’d like it to go quickly.”
Judge Kavanaugh’s friend Mark Judge has been interviewed by agents.
A lawyer for Mr. Judge – a childhood friend of Mr. Kavanaugh – said on Monday that his client’s interview “has not been completed”.
Mr. Judge’s testimony is considered key to the investigation, as Professor Christine Blasey Ford says he was in the room when Brett Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted her at a house in 1982.
Mr. Judge has not appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but said in a statement: “I do not recall the party described in Dr Ford’s letter.”
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the upper chamber would vote this week on whether to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
“The goal posts keep shifting,” he said as he accused Democrats of attempting to derail the nomination. “But the goal hasn’t moved an inch.
“The time for endless delay and obstruction has come to a close.”
Mr. McConnell did not specify when exactly the vote would be held, but it is expected to be Friday – the deadline for the FBI to finish its inquiry – or the following day.
