The confirmed death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia's Sulawesi island neared 2,000 yesterday, as schools and government offices began reopening in hard-hit areas.

More than 74,000 were still displaced after the Sept. 28 double disaster, said Willem Rampangilei, chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency, as reported by dpa. Government offices and schools reopened in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province where most of the victims were found.

Rampangilei said life is starting to return to normal in some areas affected by the disaster. Immediate food and water needs have been met, and the local government has started to function again. Many schools have been completely destroyed, but he said classes will resume where possible. However, many students are still too scared to return.

Hundreds of civil servants returned to work and to clean up their offices, said Mohammad Hidayat, a local government secretary, as reported by dpa. "We have appealed to all civil servants who are able to return to work and take part in the clean-up," he said.

Rampangilei said there could be as many as 5,000 victims still buried in deep mud in Balaroa and Petobo, two of Palu's hardest-hit neighborhoods, the Associated Press reported. But he added that number must be verified by his teams because it is an unofficial figure which came from village heads in the area. The Sept. 28 quake caused loose, wet soil to liquefy there. It is too soft to use heavy equipment for recovery, and decomposition of bodies is already advanced. Officials reiterated that the search is expected to end on Thursday. However, the deadline could be extended if needed.