A 7.5 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday followed by a 10-foot tsunami that washed away homes and families in at least two coastal cities. Photo: Screenshot/Twitter
Parts of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi were rocked by a major earthquake on Friday evening followed by a powerful tsunami that swept away homes in at least two coastal cities, according to reports.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck an area 35 miles northeast of the Indonesian town of Donggala at 6:02 pm local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.7. An earlier quake of 6.1 magnitude in central Sulawesi also killed several people, injured ten and damaged dozens of homes, reports the Guardian.
Following the quake, a tsunami hit central Sulawesi province’s capital city of Palu as well as a smaller city in Donggala and several other coastal settlements, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster agency.
According to the Weather Channel, “It’s believed the tsunami, confirmed by local agencies to be up to 10 feet tall.”
Video posted to social media shows the tsunami sweeping through the city of Palu as residents frantically run for safety.
This footage shows the catastrophic moment when #tsunami hit the city of Palu after 7.7 magnitude #earthquake shook the city this evening. #prayforpalu #prayforindonesia pic.twitter.com/I8JBi4dZjz
— Ramadhani Eko P (@ramadhaniep) September 28, 2018
The tsunami has carried away homes and families, but according to Mr. Sutopo, the search has been suspended until the morning.
“The cut to telecommunications and darkness are hampering efforts to obtain information,” he told The Guardian. “All national potential will be deployed, and tomorrow morning we will deploy Hercules [military transport planes] and helicopters to provide assistance in tsunami-affected areas.”
This is the second devastating earthquake in as many months to hit Indonesia. In early August a 7.0 magnitude quake struck the island of Lombok killing 82.
The Indonesian archipelago is especially prone to quakes as its part of the so-called “Ring of Fire,” a series of fault lines and volcanoes in the Indian Ocean.
In December of 2004, the devastating “Boxing Day Earthquake” and ensuing tsunami killed 230,000 people across more than 10 countries.
We will continue to monitor this story as it develops.
