An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit part of central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Tuesday, causing scattered damages across the city of Palu.
Tremors prompted residents to flee into open areas of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, which is the home of around 400,000 people. Many hospitals evacuated patients outdoors as a precaution.
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, casualties, and displacements were still being collected.
Effendi Natali, general manager of a four-star hotel in the city, said, “We have evacuated all guests from the hotel, including several guests who remained in their rooms. They all panicked, which is a natural reaction during an earthquake, but everyone is safe.”
Natali said the hotel only suffered minor damage.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 43 km east-southeast of Palu, with the US Geological Survey assessing that it was around 10 km deep. Subsequent aftershocks included a quake of 5.2 magnitude.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency assured the public there was no danger of a tsunami but cautioned against further aftershocks.
Muhtar Ahmad, a resident of Palu said, “The earthquake shaking was extremely strong. We are still traumatised by the previous earthquake, so we chose to remain outside because we are afraid that aftershocks may continue.”
Palu was previously hit by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 in 2018, which set off a 3-metre high tsunami and a phenomenon called liquefaction in which loose water-saturated soil collapses into itself. The disaster killed over 4,000 people, including those who were buried when neighbourhoods were submerged by the soil.
Sulawesi island saw another earthquake of magnitude 6.2 near the city of Mamuji in 2021, which left at least 100 people dead, with residents sleeping outdoors for days due to fear of aftershocks.
