A magnitude 7.5 earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, near the city of Palu, on Friday. The quake triggered a 20-foot-tall tsunami that swept across Palu and the surrounding area.

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The death toll has climbed past 1,200, but authorities say they fear it could grow, as the desperate search for survivors continues.

One survivor told reporters: "The ground rose up like a spine and suddenly fell." Officials said hundreds could still be buried in the mud and debris.

Several towns remain cut off because roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed, hindering rescue and recovery efforts.

(MORE: The Latest from the Aftermath)

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo toured Palu, home to 380,000 people, on Sunday.

"There are many challenges," Jokowi said. "We have to do many things soon, but conditions do not allow us to do so."

Jokowi also said there are also shortages of fuel, electricity and food.

The quake and tsunami were the latest natural disasters to hit Indonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. 

In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Last month, a powerful quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people.