A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the northwest coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Friday morning, killing at least 34 people, destroying homes, destroying a hospital and causing landslides, disaster officials said.
Rescuers were looking for people trapped in the rubble. More than 600 people were injured in the earthquake, which struck inland between the coastal cities of Mamuju and Majene. No tsunami warning was issued.
“I am afraid to say how many deaths,” said Ardiansyah, an emergency response officer from Western Sulawesi province, who, like many Indonesians, uses a name. “We are still evacuating and building shelters. Many people are buried under the ruins. “
An official from the National Search and Rescue Agency said on Friday afternoon that 26 people died in Mamuju, and the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency said eight deaths were confirmed in Majene.
Disaster officials said they expected the death toll from the Friday earthquake to increase as they received information from isolated areas. At least one bridge was destroyed, roads were damaged and communications were limited. The provincial governor’s office in Mamuju was also damaged.
A video released by the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency shows a girl identified only as Angel trapped in the ruins of her family’s home. Only his face is visible through a crack in the rubble. At least three other people were trapped in the house with her, officials said.
In the video, she tells rescuers that she can hear the voice of another girl who is trapped nearby and cannot move.
A savior asks, “Is she still breathing?”
Angel replies: “Still. But it is hard.”
In Mamuju, the larger of the two coastal cities, Hospital Mitra, collapsed in the earthquake. Authorities said at least five nurses and patients were trapped inside. The Mamuju government hospital was also seriously damaged, officials said. It was not clear whether anyone was killed in any of the hospitals.
The flight control tower at the commercial airport of Mamuju was damaged in the earthquake and the flight control functions were taken over by the air navigation office in Makassar, south of Mamuju.
Authorities warned the public to avoid buildings due to the possibility of another strong earthquake. Thousands of people took refuge in shelters.
Six tremors of magnitude 2.9 and above were recorded in the 12 hours prior to the great earthquake at 2:28 am local time. Nine aftershocks were recorded in the hours that followed.
Indonesia is located in the so-called Ring of Fire, a line of seismic and volcanic activity that surrounds much of the Pacific Ocean and is highly susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis. In 2018, an earthquake on the island of Lombok killed hundreds, and an earthquake and tsunami caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano killed hundreds more on the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Muktita Suhartono contributed reporting.