Indonesia Earthquake: Control tower hero sacrifices himself to save hundreds of lives

The magnitude quake in which at least 384 people have been killed and another 500 injured after waves up to 20ft tall swept over the Indonesia island.

Anthonius Gunawan Agung, 21, a young air traffic controller who remained behind during an earthquake to make sure a plane carrying hundreds of passengers took off safely has been hailed a hero. His actions undoubtedly saved the lives of dozens.

He was working at Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport in Palu on the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi, when a 6.1 magnitude tremor hit, followed by a 7.5-magnitude quake.

His colleagues ran for their lives when the control tower began to affect as the ground underneath it split.

His bravery could potentially have saved the lives of all the passengers and crew on board the plane, as the city was later destroyed later by a tsunami caused by the earthquake.

The building began to shake soon after the plane departed and, fearing he would be trapped beneath the debris if the tower collapsed around him, Agung jumped from a fourth-floor window.

He was rushed to hospital having suffered internal injuries and a broken leg and a helicopter were called to take him to a different hospital for specialist care, and he was due to be picked up again from the airport, however, he died before the helicopter arrived.

[source_without_link]SIASAT NEWS [/source_without_link]