At least 78 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province on Friday, the Search and Rescue agency (Basarnas) said on Sunday, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the Southeast Asian country.
In a statement, Basarnas confirmed 78 had died, 67 of whom were from the district of Mamuju and the rest from the district of Majene in West Sulawesi.
More than 740 people were injured and over 27 800 left their homes after the 6.2 magnitude quake, the country’s disaster mitigation agency separately (BNPB) said in a situation report. Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others went to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said.
Police and military officers have been deployed to crack down on looting in several parts of the region, BNPB spokesman Raditya Jati said.
An emergency response status, intended to help rescue efforts, has also been put in place for two weeks, Raditya said.
Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia’s meteorological, climatology and geophysical agency (BMKG), has said that another quake in the region could potentially trigger a tsunami.
Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2018, a devastating 7.5-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.
Just two weeks into the new year, the world’s fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters.
Floods in South Kalimantan and North Sulawesi have respectively killed at least 15 and five this month, while landslides in West Java province have killed at least 32, authorities said.
On January 9, a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea with 62 onboard.
East Java’s Semeru mountain erupted late on Saturday, but there have been no reports of casualties or evacuations.
Dwikorita said extreme weather and other “multi-dangers” of hydrometeorology are forecast in the coming weeks.
Pope prays for Indonesia quake victims
Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for Indonesia after an earthquake. “I pray for the dead, for the wounded, and for those who have lost their homes and jobs”, the pope said in his Sunday address.
The pope also prayed for the victims of a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea with 62 onboard on January 9.
Just two weeks into the new year, the world’s fourth-most populous country is battling several disasters.
Floods in North Sulawesi and South Kalimantan province each have killed at least five this month, while landslides in West Java province have killed at least 29, authorities said.
East Java’s Semeru mountain erupted late on Saturday, but there have been no reports yet of casualties or evacuations.
