Gorontalo (ANTARA) - Residents of North Gorontalo District, Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi Island, were engulfed by fear and panic after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit the area, resulting in them fleeing their homes, Monday, at 3:45 a.m. local time.

"It shook quite strongly, and a roar was heard. Many items in my home got scattered here and there," Meutia, a resident of Titidu Village, Kwandang Sub-district, North Gorontalo, remarked.

Hairunissa, a resident of Molingkapoto Village, claimed to have dashed out of her home, infant in tow, after sensing the strong tremor.

"I was panic-stricken, as the tremor was powerful and led to the widows shaking vigorously," she noted.

Chief of Kasia Village in Sumalata Sub-district Andi Usu admitted that the earthquake did trigger a state of panic among the local villagers.

"The strong quake put the local residents, who were asleep, into a state of shock. My family members also rushed out of their home," he noted.

Information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency indicated that the quake's epicenter was located at 1.03 degrees northern latitude and 123.18 degrees eastern longitude, 16 kilometers (km) northwest of Boroko, Bolaang Mongondow, in North Sulawesi Province, and at a depth of 13 km.


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Translator: Susanti Sako, Fardah
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
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