Audio By Carbonatix
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island killed at least seven people, injured hundreds and damaged many buildings on Friday, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said, as panicked residents fled to safer areas.
The epicenter of the quake was six kilometers (3.73 miles) northeast of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Initial information from the country’s disaster mitigation agency showed that four people had died and 637 others were injured in Majene, while there were three more fatalities and two dozen injured in the neighboring area of Mamuju.
Thousands had fled their homes to seek safety when the quake hit just after 1 am local time on Friday morning, damaging at least 60 homes, the agency said.
The quake was felt strongly for about seven seconds but did not trigger a tsunami warning.
Videos on social media showed residents fleeing to higher ground on motorcycles, and a child trapped under the rubble as people tried to remove debris with their bare hands.
Some buildings were badly damaged, including two hotels, the office of the governor of West Sulawesi and a mall, Sudirman Samual, a journalist based in Mamuju, north of the epicentre, told Reuters.
At least one route into Mamuju had been cut off, he said, due to damage to a bridge.
Hours earlier on Thursday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the same district damaging several houses.
Indonesia’s disaster agency said a series of quakes in the past 24 hours had caused at least three landslides, and the electricity supply had been cut.
Straddling the so-called Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, Indonesia, a nation of high tectonic activity, is regularly hit by earthquakes.
In 2018, a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands of people.
Latest Stories
-
Church of Pentecost supports over 2,000 BECE candidates in Obuasi with career guidance seminar
1 hour -
Brandon Asante and Coventry all but promoted to Premier League despite Sheffield Wednesday draw
1 hour -
GPL 2025/26: Late Kwartemaa strike downs Hearts in Tema
2 hours -
Ghana Faces Sierra Leone Moment as Prosecutorial Powers come under strain
2 hours -
Don’t consume fish or seafood from Tema Shipyard until further notice – FDA warns
2 hours -
Why volunteering might be Africa’s most underrated career accelerator
2 hours -
ActionAid Ghana raises concern over gender gaps in Feed Ghana Programme
2 hours -
Windstorm wreaks havoc in Gushegu, displacing nearly 2,000 residents and damaging schools
2 hours -
Friends of Bridget Bonnie Marks her 35th birthday with donation to Kasseh Model Health Centre
3 hours -
From Ekumfi Kokodo to the Pulpit Stage: Essi Donkor’s gospel journey takes shape
3 hours -
Landfilling waste management creates no value, it’s an economic waste
3 hours -
Photos: Speaker Bagbin Commissions MPs constituency office under parliamentary decentralisation programme
4 hours -
Black Stars technical advisor Winfried Schäfer sacked as GFA shakes up backroom staff
4 hours -
Wenchi water project almost complete, critical to gov’t agenda – GWL MD
4 hours -
Anti-LGBTQ+ bill not part of government’s legislative agenda – Inusah Fuseini
4 hours