Strong earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island
At least 34 people were killed and hundreds more injured after a 6.2-magnitute earthquake hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island early Friday, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.
The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 1.28 a.m. Jakarta time, was six kilometers (3.7 miles) northeast of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. In Majene, at least eight people died, 637 were injured and 15,000 residents have been displaced, according to the country’s National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB). In the neighboring Mamuju area, an additional 26 deaths were reported, BNPB said.
Thousands of residents fled their homes to seek safety following the quake, which could be felt strongly for five to seven seconds and damaged at least 300 houses in Majene, BNPB said. Other buildings have also been badly damaged, including a military command office in Majene, and the Mitra Manakara private hospital, hotels, and government buildings in the neighboring Mamuju area.
The country’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said the earthquake did not trigger a tsunami based on meteorology and climatology agency modeling. The earthquake also triggered a power outage and caused three landslides along the main road connecting Majene and Mamuju. Hours earlier on Thursday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the same district damaging several houses.
