Indonesian medical staff fell into overcrowding when they both had to rescue the earthquake victims and prevent the risk of COV infection.

Indonesian nurses and rescue workers today continue to race against time to save victims of the earthquake that rocked Sulawesi island last week.

At least 84 people have died, thousands of people were left homeless after a massive 6.2-degree earthquake that caused a series of works to collapse in the coastal city of Mamuju.

A handful of local doctors and nurses had to work nonstop throughout the first few days after the earthquake until support was available, but this still seemed insufficient, in addition to a shortage of medicine and need.

"At one point we were completely overwhelmed and exhausted. Many nurses were also earthquake victims and had to help their families," said Indahwati Nursyamsi, director of the Sulawesi general hospital.

Health officials must also rush to isolate patients with Covid-19 to avoid the risk of an outbreak outbreak in field medical centers.

The fear of an additional earthquake causing a home collapse is also a challenge as many patients and doctors don't want to be in the hospital.

Nurse Agriani, 29, said she worked around the clock.

It is not yet clear how many victims were left buried under the rubble, while rescuers attempted to find survivors after three days of the earthquake.

"There might still be people trapped below," said search and rescue agency spokesman West Sulawesi Yusuf Latif.

The quake made it more difficult in Indonesia's disaster response, when the country just experienced a double landslide in West Java province on the evening of 9/1, killing at least 11 people and many missing.

Indonesia often experiences earthquakes and volcanoes because it is located on the "volcanic belt" of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates collide.