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JAKARTA, January 15: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi killed at least 10 people and injured hundreds on Friday, and the country’s meteorological agency warned of the risk of more aftershocks, potentially strong enough to produce a tsunami.
Friday’s powerful earthquake struck 6 kilometers (3.73 miles) northeast of Majene, at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers, just before 1.30 a.m. Friday, causing thousands of panicked residents to leave their homes. homes and flee to higher ground.
Safaruddin Sanusi, spokesman for the West Sulawesi provincial government, told Reuters that 10 people had died in Majene and the neighboring Mamuju district, with more deaths likely amid ongoing search and rescue efforts.
Initial information from Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency showed that 637 people had been injured in Majene and two dozen in Mamuju.
The earthquake did not trigger a tsunami warning, but Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) director Dwikorita Karnawati told a news conference that strong aftershocks could follow, with the possibility of another powerful earthquake triggering a tsunami.
There were at least 26 aftershocks in the area last day, he said, and Friday’s earthquake was preceded by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on Thursday afternoon.
“Praise God, for now (the situation) is fine, but we just felt another aftershock,” said Sukri Efendy, a 26-year-old resident.
Two damaged hotels
The series of earthquakes triggered three landslides, damaged bridges to regional centers such as the city of Makassar, and damaged more than 60 houses, two hotels and the provincial governor’s office. Electricity in the area is also cut off.
West Sulawesi provincial government spokesman Safaruddin said authorities desperately needed to restore telecommunications networks and repair several damaged bridges, as well as deliver tents, basic food and medical supplies.
As the head of Indonesia’s disaster agency and the minister of social affairs are planning to fly to the area, images of the aftermath have appeared on social media.
Videos have shown residents fleeing to higher ground on motorcycles and a child trapped under the rubble as people tried to remove the rubble with their bare hands.
Straddling the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ of the Pacific, Indonesia, a nation of high tectonic activity, is regularly hit by earthquakes.
In 2018, a devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami shook the city of Palu in Sulawesi, killing thousands of people.
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