The United States Geological Survey reported that a shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday close to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 9.9 km at 9:43 p.m. local time (14:43 GMT).
Although there was no immediate tsunami, Indonesia’s geophysics office (BMKG) issued a warning about potential aftershocks. Its first magnitude reading was 6.3.
“I was having a good sleep (when the earthquake jolted). I jumped out of bed immediately,” averred Qamariah, a 41-year-old housewife residing in Central Sulawesi’s Malei village.
“It felt like being shaken as if rice was being sifted. It went up and then down. It was really strong because I lived close to the epicentre. It lasted for about 5 seconds,” she added in conversation with AFP.
She said there was no electricity in her region so she could check for damage.
“I am outside (my house) right now, with family and my neighbours,” she added.
In a video acquired by AFP, terrified residents of the town of Lambonga in Central Sulawesi gathered in groups outside of their homes to seek shelter.
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the Java island of the Southeast Asian nation in November killed 602 people.
The majority of the victims of that earthquake died in building collapses or landslides brought on by the earthquake.
In April, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the nation’s Sumatra island shook the houses of terrified locals without leaving any injuries or property damage.
