Stephen Wright

Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash of the 2-month-old Lion Air plane with experienced pilots in fine weather.

The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami that decimated parts of the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi jumped to more than 1,200 on Tuesday as disaster officials began reaching coastal areas that were cut off by blocked roads and downed telephone lines.

The surge, caught on video, dumped victims across a devastated landscape that rescuers were struggling to reach Saturday.

Powerful earthquakes jolted the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday and triggered a tsunami that an official said swept away houses in at least two cities.

People gazed at the sky in wonder and cheered while others knelt in prayer as a total eclipse of the sun unfolded over Indonesia on Wednesday, briefly plunging cities into darkness and startling wildlife.