The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has risen to 1,763, with more than 5,000 feared missing.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said officials are trying to confirm the number still missing in several villages obliterated when the quake caused loose soil to liquefy, sucking houses into deep mud and burying occupants.

Aid is delivered in Indonesia
Earthquake survivors carry relief goods delivered by an Indonesian Army helicopter in Poroo (AP)

The twin disasters struck Palu and surrounding districts in Central Sulawesi province on September 28.