Fierce earthquake rocked Indonesia: dozens dead, buildings destroyed

At least 34 people were killed and more than 600 injured in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck the Celebes Island in Indonesia this Friday and which caused the collapse of several buildings, including a hospital and a hotel, as well as bridges and roads, according to the disaster management agency.

Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster management agency, said that in the provincial capital, Mamuju alone, there were 26 deaths. “This number could increase, but I hope not … A lot of the dead are trapped under the rubble,” he added.

At least a dozen people were trapped in the rubble of a destroyed hospital. “The hospital is destroyed. It has collapsed. There are patients and hospital staff trapped in the rubble and we are trying to evacuate them,” said an authority from the Mamuju City Rescue Service.

For its part, the national disaster management agency reported that at least eight people have lost their lives in an area south of Mamuju, a town of 110,000 people, where most of the deaths have been confirmed.

A day earlier, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked the same neighborhood, damaging several homes. Subsequently, a series of strong earthquakes over the next 24 hours triggered at least three landslides and power outages, the agency said.

Close to the so-called “ring of fire” of the Pacific, Indonesia is a nation of high tectonic activity and in recent years it has been regularly hit by earthquakes. In 2018, a devastating magnitude 6.2 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck the town of Palu in Sulawesi, killing thousands.