Strong 6.7-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Sulawesi

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• A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Palu on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
• At least two people were seriously injured, and others sustained minor injuries.
• The quake brought back memories of the 2018 disaster, in which more than 4,300 people lost their lives in the same region.

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Strong tremors and numerous aftershocks have put people on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on alert: A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Palu in the center of the island this morning (local time). According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), it was recorded at a relatively shallow depth of ten kilometers. The tremors were felt in several provinces in the region, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics reported.

At least two people were seriously injured, and several others sustained minor injuries, said Muhammad Rizal, head of the search and rescue agency in Palu. There were initially no reports of fatalities.

Many aftershocks

The exact extent of the damage was also still unclear, but reports indicated that the strong tremors may have caused damage, particularly to many poorly constructed buildings. According to emergency response teams, part of the roof collapsed at a university.

No tsunami warning was issued, as the quake occurred inland. However, according to the USGS, there were numerous aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 5.2.

Located between Borneo and Papua New Guinea, the island is one of the larger ones in the Southeast Asian nation, which consists of more than 17,000 islands. In the most geologically active zone on Earth, the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur regularly.

Memories of the Devastating 2018 Earthquake

Of Indonesia’s nearly 280 million inhabitants, more than half live on the heavily overpopulated main island of Java. Sulawesi has a population of about 20 million.

The earthquake brought back memories of the 2018 disaster: At that time, the city of Palu and the surrounding region were struck by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami. More than 4,300 people died.