Powerful earthquake shakes Sulawesi island in central Indonesia

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - JAKARTA — A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Tuesday, causing scattered damage and rattling residents of a city devastated by a quake and tsunami eight years ago, the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said.

The quake occurred at 10:27 a.m. local time (0327 GMT) at a depth of 10 km, the agency said.

The initial temblor caused strong shaking lasting more than a minute sent people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province.

Scattered damage was reported, and hospitals evacuated patients, some with IV drips, outside as a safety measure.

Images from the area showed heavily damaged structures with partially collapsed roofs, shattered walls and debris scattered across the streets. The National Disaster Management Agency said information on the damage, possible casualties and displaced people was still being gathered.

“We have evacuated all guests from the hotel, including several guests who remained in their rooms,” said Effendi Natali, a general manager of a four-star hotel in Palu.

“They all panicked, which is a natural reaction during an earthquake, but everyone is safe,” Natali said, adding that the hotel sustained only minor damage.

People also moved away from coastal areas as a precaution if the quake set off a tsunami. Indonesia's meteorology agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned aftershocks could continue.

“The earthquake shaking was extremely strong,” Palu resident Muhtar Ahmad said. “We are still traumatized by the previous earthquake, so we chose to remain outside because we are afraid that aftershocks may continue.”

The initial quake was centered 46 kilometers east-southeast of Palu, and the US Geological Survey said it was about 10 kilometers deep. The strongest subsequent quakes measured 5.2, 5.0 and 4.9 magnitude.

Indonesia is crossed by several seismic faults, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.

Many Sulawesi residents are haunted by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated Palu in 2018, setting of 3-meter (10-foot) high tsunami and a phenomenon called liquefaction in which soil collapses into itself. More than 4,000 people were killed, including many who were buried when whole neighborhoods were swallowed in the falling ground.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake near the city of Mamuju on Sulawesi island left at least 100 people dead, with thousands sleeping outdoors for days out of fear of aftershocks.