Deadly earthquake in Indonesia, hospital collapsed
Residents of Mamuju on the island of Celebes in Indonesia on the rubble of a house destroyed by a strong earthquake on January 15, 2021. AP - Rudy Akdyaksyah
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A strong earthquake in the archipelago killed at least 26 people this Friday, January 15 in the island of Celebes, according to the latest official report.
Several buildings including a hospital collapsed under the effect of this earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale.
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“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.
He estimated the number of people trapped between 10 and 20, without being able to confirm whether they were alive.
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.
The magnitude 6.2 earthquake, according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), occurred this Friday at 2:18 a.m. local time.
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.
Devastating Tsunamis
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.
►
To read also: Can the Indian Ocean still be devastated by a tsunami like in 2004?
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