New Delhi (NVI): A 6.2-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has killed at least 34 people, injured hundreds and damaged many buildings in the early hours today, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.
The epicentre of the quake was six kilometres (3.73 miles) northeast of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometres, which sent thousands of frightened residents out of their homes and fleeing for higher ground.
The earthquake and aftershocks caused three landslides, cut electricity, damaged bridges to regional hubs such as the city of Makassar, and damaged more than 60 homes, two hotels and the provincial governor’s office, where at least two people were buried under rubble, according to media reports.
Initial information from the national disaster mitigation agency showed that 637 people had been injured in Majene, and two dozen in Mamuju.
Furthermore, more than a dozen patients and staff are trapped beneath the rubble of a hospital that was flattened when the earthquake hit the island.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.
In 2018, a devastating 7.5-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.
-CHK
