Rescuers searched the rubble of ruined buildings in Mamuju, Indonesia, in search of survivors of a 6.2 magnitude earthquake, when strong tremors shook the region.
So far, 46 deaths and more than 820 injuries have been attributed to the earthquake, which occurred to the south of the city of about 110,000 people in Western Sulawesi province on Friday morning.
The quake destroyed a hospital, destroyed a shopping mall, damaged two hotels, the regional government offices and the city’s airport. No major damage was attributed to Saturday’s 5.0 magnitude quake.
Several minor tremors shook the area as well.
It is unclear how many people are trapped under level buildings, although officials are focusing on hotels. At least a dozen patients and staff remained missing after the hospital collapsed.
Rescue supplies are flowing to the island some 900 miles northwest of the capital Jakarta, and the Indonesian Navy is sending a medical ship to the damaged area to help treat hundreds of wounded.
Some 15,000 residents have fled to temporary shelters, local officials said.
Authorities are concerned about another major earthquake and have warned residents to stay away from the sea because of the risk of a tsunami.
Occupying the so-called Pacific Circle of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Palu, about 250 miles north of Mamuju, on Sulawesi Island, and the subsequent tsunami that caused it killed more than 4,300 people on the island.
With Post Wires