Jakarta, indomaritim.com – A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Palu City in Central Sulawesi on Tuesday at 11:27 a.m. local time, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has confirmed.
According to Antara News Agency, the earthquake’s epicenter was some 42 kilometers southeast of Palu City, the agency said in its statement.
“The earthquake epicenter was shallow, as its depth was around 10 kilometers. Our simulation showed that the seismic activity will not trigger a tsunami,” BMKG said.
Around three minutes after the main tremor, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) detected a 5.2-magnitude aftershock, with its epicenter located some 44 kilometers east-southeast of Palu at the same depth.
BMKG urged residents to remain calm, stay away from damaged buildings, and remain alert for potential aftershocks.
The region’s disaster mitigation agency is yet to confirm any structural damage or casualties from the Tuesday earthquake.
Meanwhile, the earthquake reportedly caused panic at Samaritan Hospital in Palu, with patients and visitors scrambling to open areas within the hospital complex amid the shocks.
Some patients were evacuated outside in hospital beds and in wheelchairs. They opted to remain there until the situation was deemed safe to return inside.
“We ran outside because we felt the tremor strongly,” Salam, a hospital visitor, stated.
Besides in Palu, the earthquake was reported to be felt in the neighboring Sigi, Donggala, and Tojo Una-Una districts, all also in Central Sulawesi.
Palu City was devastated by a powerful earthquake in September 2018 that triggered a tsunami and widespread soil liquefaction, resulting in the deaths of more than 4,000 people and billions of rupiahs in damages. (Edo)
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