Indonesia scientist predicted quake, government knew of risk

In this Oct. 5, 2018, photo, a man walks on the rubble of houses in the Petobo neighborhood which was wiped out by earthquake-triggered liquefaction in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many in the decimated village had no idea they were in an area already identified as a high-risk zone for this apocalyptic phenomenon that causes soft ground to liquefy during temblors. The area around Sulawesi island's Palu Bay had been slammed before and was due for another potential perfect storm, capable of unleashing earthquakes, landslides, tsunami waves and soil liquefaction. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

PETOBO, Indonesia — When the violent shaking from a massive magnitude 7.5 earthquake finally stopped, Selvi Susanti stood up and realized something strange was happening. First, she saw the ground suddenly begin to sink. Then the pavement split beneath her feet like a broken dinner plate and started to rise. Terrified, she clung to a small sliver of asphalt and surfed a river of fast-moving mud as it swallowed entire neighborhoods, carrying her higher than coconut trees for a quarter of a mile.