Majene earthquake toll rises, and 27 people found dead

MAMUJU, KOMPAS.com – The head of the West Sulawesi Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Darno Majid, said that so far there were 27 residents who had died from the earthquake that had its epicenter in Majene Regency, on Friday (1/15/2021) .

The victim died after being crushed by debris from building materials that collapsed during the earthquake.

Of the 27 people who died, 18 people died in the Mamuju district. Meanwhile, 9 other people died at Majene Regency.

“Since the extraordinary earthquake that affected the two closest districts, namely Majene Regency and Mamuju City,” Darno said during a news conference in Mamuju on Friday afternoon.

Also read: BMKG recalls possible aftershocks that resulted in a tsunami in Majene

At this time, Darno said, BPBD has not yet obtained exact data on the number of residents who have fled in the two districts.

However, it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of residents who have fled to various mountainous areas of Mamuju.

“The refugees are scattered in various areas of the mountains. There is in front of the rujab (office house), then there are refugees in the hills, ”said Darno.

In Mamuju, Darno said, in addition to the collapse of office buildings, hotels and office centers, there were also residents’ houses that were badly damaged.

Also Read: West Sulawesi Governor’s Office Collapsed in Earthquake, 2 Residents Suspected of Being Buried in Concrete Poles

He said there were 10 residents’ houses that were leveled to the ground, around 100 houses suffered minor and severe damage and several commercial houses collapsed.

“Then the governor’s own office was badly damaged. Among them half of the office collapsed and cracked behind it and it may appear at this point that it is no longer occupied, much less anticipating the possibility of aftershocks,” Darno said.

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Majene Regency, West Sulawesi and the surrounding areas on Friday (1/15/2021) around 01.28 WIB.

The Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) said the epicenter was 6 kilometers northeast of Majene. The epicenter was 10 kilometers deep.

Also read: DPR calls on the government to act quickly in handling the Majene earthquake

According to BMKG, this earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami wave.

Earlier on Thursday (1/14/2021) around 1335 WIB, Majene was also shaken by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9.