Deadly earthquake hits Indonesia
A strong, shallow earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island just after midnight yesterday, causing landslides and sending people fleeing from their homes in the darkness. At least three people were killed and 24 were injured, but Indonesian officials said they were still collecting information from devastated areas.
In a video released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, a girl trapped in the wreckage of a house cried out for help and said her mother was alive but unable to move out.
“Please help me, it’s hurt,” the girl told rescuers, who replied that they desperately wanted to help her.
In the video, the rescuers said an excavator was needed to save them. Other images in the video showed a severed bridge and damaged and even flattened houses. TV stations reported the earthquake damaged part of a hospital, and patients were moved to an emergency tent outside.
Another video showed a father asking for help from people to save his children buried under tonnes of his house rubble.
“My children there . . . they are trapped inside, please help,” he cried in panic.
About 2000 displaced people were evacuated to several temporary shelters. The magnitude 6.2 quake early yesterday was centred 36km south of West Sulawesi province’s Mamuju district, at a depth of
18km, the US Geological Survey said.
At least 62 houses, a public health centre and a military office were damaged in Mamuju and landslides in three locations blocked a main road connecting Mamuju to the Majene district, said Raditya Jati, the disaster agency’s spokesperson. He said the agency was still collecting data from affected areas.
Yesterday, a magnitude 5.9 quake hit under the sea in the same region, damaging several homes but causing no apparent casualties.