Many buildings collapsed on the island of Celebes, Indonesia, after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake on January 15, 2021. -

Rudy Akdyaksyah / AP / SIPA

At least 24 people were killed and several buildings including a hospital collapsed under the effect of a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island of Celebes in Indonesia on Friday, authorities said.

“The hospital is destroyed.

He collapsed.

There are patients and hospital staff trapped in the rubble and we are in the process of evacuating them, ”Arianto, a relief official in the earthquake-affected town of Mamuju, told AFP.

#UPDATE At least three people died and large buildings including a hotel collapsed when a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi island https://t.co/MvcuRXx3GT pic.twitter.com/scxrjdT3ek

- AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 15, 2021

Authorities have also confirmed 3 dead and 24 injured in the town where a hotel and the seat of the governor of Mamuju were damaged.

The provincial capital has some 110,000 inhabitants.

The earthquake triggered panic among residents of western Celebes, who fled to high ground after the island was already hit in 2018 by a deadly earthquake.

On the ring of fire

“The roads are bursting, and several buildings have collapsed, including the governor's office and a hospital.

The hospital was taken down, ”said Hendra, a 28-year-old witness living in Mamuju.

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake, according to the American Institute of Geophysics, occurred at 2:18 a.m. local time on Friday.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located 36 km south of Mamuju, at a depth of 18 km, the USGS said.

Landslides followed the earthquake, cutting off access to one of the province's main roads.

As of Thursday, a 5.8 tremor had already been felt in the region, without causing significant damage.

The Indonesian archipelago is located on the Pacific "ring of fire", an area of ​​high seismic activity.

The region of Palu on the island of Celebes had already been hit in September 2018 by a very strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami.

This disaster left more than 4,300 dead and missing and at least 170,000 displaced.

Another devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, causing a tsunami that killed 220,000 people in the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.

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