Bayu, a local resident, recounted that the earthquake that struck at around 3:13 a.m. local time briefly set off a sense of panic among locals owing to the strongly felt shaking. He along with several other residents rushed to safer places.
"However, none of houses got damaged. It just caused a brief panic," he stated.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded that the epicenter of the earthquake was located around eight kilometers (km) away from east of Bahodopi Sub-district's Tolo Bay at a depth of 10 km.
Head of Palu City-based Geophysics Station Cahyo Nugroho stated that Morowali District's areas were jolted by six earthquakes of magnitude 3.4 and 4.9 from 2:27 to 6:15 a.m. local time
Earthquakes regularly hit various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
One of the deadliest earthquakes in Central Sulawesi occurred on September 28, 2018.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami that hit the areas of Palu City and the districts of Donggala, Paringi Moutong, and Sigi on Sept 28, 2018, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.
A total of 68,451 homes incurred serious damage, while 78,994 people got displaced.
The authorities and humanitarian workers decided to bury the large number of rotting corpses in mass graves.
Meanwhile, material losses inflicted by the twin deadly disasters were assessed to reach Rp15.29 trillion.
The provincial capital of Palu bore the brunt of the disaster, with material damage and losses recorded at Rp7.6 trillion, or 50 percent of the total estimate, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
The material damage and losses in Sigi District were recorded at Rp4.9 trillion, or 32.1 percent; Donggala District, at Rp2.1 trillion, or 13.8 percent; and Parigi Moutong District, at Rp631 billion, or 4.1 percent.
The material damage in the four affected areas reached an estimated Rp13.27 trillion, while the material losses were reportedly around Rp2.02 trillion, the agency revealed in October 2018.
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Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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