Palu, 16 June  

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia's Sulawesi Island Tuesday, causing scattered damage and rattling residents of a city devastated by a quake and tsunami eight years ago.

The strong shaking sent people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of CentralSulawesi province. Several hospitals evacuated patients, some with IV drips, outdoors as a safety measure.

Images from the area showed heavily damaged structures with partially collapsed roofs, shattered walls and debris scattered across the streets. The National Disaster Management Agency said information on the damage, possible casualties and displaced people was still being gathered.

“We have evacuated all guests from the hotel, including several guests who remained in their rooms,” said Effendi Natali, a general manager of a four-star hotel in Palu.

“They all panicked, which is a natural reaction during an earthquake, but everyone is safe,” Natali said, adding that the hotel sustained only minor damage.

The initial quake was centred 43 kilometres east-southeast of Palu, and the US Geological Survey said it was about 10 kilometres deep. Several aftershocks followed, the strongest being of 5.2 magnitude.

People also moved away from coastal areas as a precaution if the quake set off a tsunami. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned aftershocks could continue.

“The earthquake shaking was extremely strong,” Palu resident Muhtar Ahmad said. “We are still traumatised by the previous earthquake, so we chose to remain outside because we are afraid that aftershocks may continue.”

Indonesia is crossed by several seismic faults, and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.

Many Sulawesi residents are haunted by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that devastated Palu in 2018, setting off a 3-metre high tsunami and a phenomenon called liquefaction in which soil collapses into itself. More than 4,000 people were killed, including many who were buried when whole neighbourhoods were swallowed up by the falling ground.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake near the city of Mamuju on Sulawesi Island left at least 100 people dead, with thousands sleeping outdoors for days out of fear of aftershocks.