The evacuees comprise 60,505 in Mamuju district and 29,199 in Majene
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The West Sulawesi Provincial Disaster Mitigation Task Force has reported a total of 89,624 people of Mamuju and Majene districts which bore the brunt of a 6.2-magnitude earthquake on January 15, are still taking refuge.

"The evacuees comprise 60,505 in Mamuju district and 29,199 in Majene," spokesman for the task force M. Natsir said here on Saturday.

He said the evacuees are being sheltered in 249 camps comprising 105 camps with more than 100 evacuees and 124 camps with less than 100 evacuees in Mamuju and 20 camps with more than 100 evacuees in Majene.

In Mamuju, the evacuees are found in the sub-districts of Mamuju, Simboro, Tapalang, Tapalang Barat, Kaluku, Papalang and Balakkang, while in Majene, the evacuees are found in the sub-districts of Malunda and Ulumanda.

Some 15 thousand residents fled their homes following the powerful quake.

Secretary of the West Sulawesi Province Muhammad Idris said 91 people lost their lives, 320 people were very seriously injured, 426 people were seriously injured, 240 people were moderately injured and 2,703 people were lightly injured

"Three people are still missing in Majene district and two others died at evacuee camp," he said.

A powerful earthquake rocked the districts of Majene and Mamuju early on Friday (Jan 15). The epicenter of the quake was located on land, six kilometers northeast of Majene, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The shallow quake, which the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) believes was caused by a local fault, destroyed several buildings, including the governor's office, a military office, and the Maleo Hotel.

The earthquake, which damaged several homes and a public health center, also triggered three landslides along the Majene-Mamuju road section, disrupting the transportation of people and goods, chief of the BNPB Center for Disaster Data, Information and Communication, Dr. Raditya Jati, said at an online press conference in Jakarta recently.

Related news: Quakes predicted in W Sulawesi in 2019: BNPB

Related news: 103 schools damaged by strong quakes in West Sulawesi

Translator: Fauzi/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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