Thursday marks five years since a powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, causing severe devastation and taking away thousands of lives.

The jolt that struck central Sulawesi on September 28, 2018, brought extensive damage to coastal areas and triggered widespread soil liquefaction, which, in turn, buried residences in mud.

The disaster claimed about 4,300 lives.

Five years on, the island is rebuilding its infrastructure with comprehensive assistance from Japan, based on knowledge acquired through restoring the country's northeastern region, which suffered a quake and tsunami disaster in March 2011.

Ahead of the five-year anniversary, victims of the disaster, who have since moved en masse to upland areas, were seen offering prayers to the perished on Wednesday.

A man whose 9-year old daughter remains missing expressed his sorrow, but also a wish to start his life afresh. He added he hopes such a disaster will never happen again.

On Tuesday, officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, overseeing the reconstruction efforts, visited a site along the Palu coast where road construction is ongoing.

The road, which will be elevated by about 5 meters, is expected to reduce inundation by tsunami. Such roads have been built in tsunami-hit regions in Japan.

Fukushima Junichi, the Jakarta office head of Japanese construction consultant firm Yachiyo Engineering, has been involved in the reconstruction efforts in the island since immediately after the disaster.

He said Japan possesses world-leading anti-disaster technology, and the company has been told by Indonesian authorities that gives them a sense of security.

He added what the company acquired through reconstruction of northeastern Japan has been adapted to better suit the needs of Indonesia.