It resulted in hundreds of wounded and caused panic to the population
37 people were killed in a strong earthquake in Indonesia
Rescue teams search for missing people under the rubble in Mamuju town.
■ AFP
At least 37 people were killed yesterday in a strong earthquake that struck the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, according to the authorities, while rescue teams searched between the rubble of buildings and a hospital that collapsed, hoping to find survivors.
The magnitude of the earthquake reached 6.2, and it struck at night, and resulted in hundreds of injuries, and caused panic among the population in West Sulawesi, who had previously experienced a strong earthquake in 2018 as well.
"We pulled 29 dead from under the rubble" in the Mamogo area, said Arianto, a local rescue team official, noting that 10 survivors were pulled out from under the rubble.
The official was unable to determine how many people were still under the rubble.
Another agency official said that eight other people were killed in the town of Majin, located in the Mamuju district.
In Mamuju, the most affected city in the region by the earthquake, rescue workers are searching for more than 10 patients and medical personnel who went missing under the rubble of a hospital that collapsed.
"The hospital collapsed. There are patients and staff in the hospital under the rubble, and we are trying to get them out," said an official in the relief teams in Mamuju.
At least a hotel collapsed due to the earthquake, and the local government headquarters was severely damaged, according to rescue teams.
The actual size of the damage to the provincial capital, which has a population of 110,000, is not yet known.
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency warned of the possibility of aftershocks, asking residents to avoid beaches, due to the risk of a tsunami.
"Aftershocks may be as strong as the earthquake, and stronger," said agency director Doikorita Karnawati.
A tremor of 5.8 magnitude was recorded on Thursday in the region, without causing much damage.
The earthquake caused landslides, which cut off a main road in the region, while the local Mamogo airport was damaged.
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