6.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia, sends residents fleeing
Enjot, 45, who lost his house and few relatives, walks past the rubble of a building collapsed in Monday's earthquake in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022. Rescuers on Tuesday struggled to find more bodies from the rubble of homes and buildings toppled by an earthquake that killed a number of people and injured hundreds on Indonesia's main island of Java. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Indonesia’s Sulawesi island early Wednesday morning, triggering panic but causing no reported damage or casualties.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the tremor at 6:55 AM local time (2255 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with its epicenter offshore near North Sulawesi province.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s meteorological agency (BMKG) measured the quake at 6.0 magnitude, confirming that it posed no tsunami threat.
Residents in North Sulawesi described moments of fear as the earthquake shook buildings. Gita Waloni, a guest at a hotel in North Minahasa district, told AFP: “I had just woken up when I realized it was an earthquake. It was strong, swaying from side to side. Objects inside my room rattled. I decided to get out. I was so scared there would be an aftershock while I was inside the lift. All other guests had also fled.”
Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, is highly prone to earthquakes due to intense tectonic activity.
The nation has suffered devastating quakes in the past, including a 6.2-magnitude tremor in 2021 that left over 100 dead, a 7.5-magnitude quake in 2018 that caused more than 2,200 fatalities, and the 9.1-magnitude earthquake in 2004 that resulted in a catastrophic tsunami, claiming over 170,000 lives in Aceh province.
