Rescuers in the rubble of a hospital after the Celebes earthquake, January 17, 2021. -

Yusuf Wahil / AP / SIPA

The toll of the earthquake which shook the island of Celebes in Indonesia on Friday is already very heavy.

Unfortunately, it is only provisional.

Some 56 people have lost their lives as a result of the natural disaster, authorities said on Sunday.

Rescuers continue to search the rubble for survivors.

The bad memory of 2018

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake, which occurred at dawn, left thousands homeless and hundreds injured.

It triggered panic among the inhabitants of the west of the island of Celebes, already devastated in 2018 by a very strong earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami that killed 4,300 people.

For two days, dozens of lifeless bodies have been removed from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Mamuju, the provincial capital.

Other victims were found further south, where a strong aftershock was felt on Saturday morning.

Food and emergency equipment were dispatched to the island by planes and boats, and the navy sent a medical ship to supplement the still functioning hospitals, overwhelmed by the influx of wounded.

While thousands of people have lost their homes, others do not want to return home for fear of aftershocks or a tsunami.

Risk of a Covid-19 outbreak

"It's better to take shelter in case something worse happens," says Mamuju resident Abdul Wahab, who has taken refuge in a tent with his wife and four children, including a baby.

"We hope that the government can quickly send us aid, food, medicine and milk for the children," he adds.

Worried about a possible outbreak of Covid-19 in overcrowded camps, the authorities have announced that they will try to form groups of people according to the risks.

The epicenter of the quake was located 36 km south of Mamuju, at a relatively shallow depth of 18 km.

Subsequent landslides and heavy rains cut off access to one of the province's main roads.

The airport was also damaged as well as a hotel and the seat of the governor while part of the city remains without electricity.

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