JAKARTA – At least 73 people have been killed after an earthquake struck Indonesia’s West Sulawesi province on Friday, the Disaster Relief Agency (BNPB) said on Sunday.
More than 820 people were injured and more than 27,800 left their homes after the 6.2 magnitude earthquake, BNPB spokeswoman Raditya Jati said. Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others went to cramped evacuation centers, witnesses said.
Police and military officials have been deployed to curb looting in various parts of the region, Jati added.
An emergency response status, intended to aid rescue efforts, has also been in place for two weeks, he said.
Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) in Indonesia, said another earthquake in the region could cause a tsunami.
Indonesia is regularly hit by the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire by earthquakes. In 2018, a devastating earthquake of 6.2 and the ensuing tsunami hit the city of Palu in Sulawesi and killed thousands of people.
Just two weeks into the new year, the world’s fourth most populous country is facing several disasters.
Floods in North Sulawesi and South Kalimantan province have killed five people this month, while landslides in the West Java province have killed at least 29 people, authorities said.
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On January 9, a Sriwijaya Air plane with 62 on board crashed into the Java Sea.
Mount Semeru in East Java erupted late on Saturday, but there are no reports of casualties or evacuations yet.
Dwikorita said extreme weather and other “multi-hazards” of hydrometeorology are forecast in the coming weeks.