At least 3 killed, dozens injured in Sulawesi earthquake
Jakarta, Jan 15 (efe-epa).- At least three people have died and another 24 have been injured following a magnitude-6.2 earthquake early Friday on the island of Sulawesi in the central region of the Indonesian archipelago, officials reported.
The earthquake, which occurred after 2 am, has caused extensive damage to several parts of the area.
Buildings and bridges have collapsed while some 2,000 people have been displaced.
Search teams have already reached the area to begin rescuing those who may have been trapped under the rubble of the destroyed buildings, including a hotel and the regional governor’s office, the disaster management agency said in a statement.
The earthquake was located at a depth of 10 kilometers and 6 km northeast of Majene in West Sulawesi, according to the agency. The United States Geological Survey put the depth at 18.4 km.
The shallow quake, which lasted between 5 and 7 seconds, also triggered at least three landslides that are hampering rescue operations and making it difficult to distribute aid.
However, the disaster agency ruled out potential for a quake-triggered tsunami.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Island of Sulawesi in September 2018 and triggered a tsunami that claimed over 2,000 lives and displaced 200,000 people in the cities of Palu and Donggala.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activities with 127 active volcanoes. It experiences about 7,000, mostly-moderate, quakes a year. EFE-EPA
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