Strong quake triggers panic in Palu<\/p>\n
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu<\/p>\n
A strong earthquake jolted Palu and the surrounding areas on
\nSunday morning, sparking panic among city residents.<\/p>\n
Fearing building collapses and the possibility of a tsunami,
\nmany residents fled their homes for higher ground.<\/p>\n
The Palu Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) reported the
\nearthquake that struck the coastal city at 7:40 a.m. measured 5.7
\non the Richter scale. The quake's epicenter was about 30
\nkilometers underground in Sungku subdistrict, some 60 kilometers
\nsoutheast of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
As of 4 p.m., no fatalities or serious injuries had been
\nreported. Several houses in Sungku subdistrict were reportedly
\ndamaged in the quake, ranging from partial collapses to broken
\nwindows.<\/p>\n
The strong quake sent a wave of panic through residents of
\nPalu. One resident was seen fleeing his home wrapped in a bath
\ntowel, his body still covered with soap.<\/p>\n
\"The quake was very strong. My television set fell to the
\nfloor and broke,\" said Usman, a resident of Kotapulu subdistrict,
\nDonggala regency, some 17 kilometers south of Palu.<\/p>\n
Motorists fled from gasoline stations for fear that the
\nearthquake would trigger a fire. Many holiday goers staying near
\nthe coast left for higher ground.<\/p>\n
\"Following the quake, we were told by our teacher to leave the
\nbeach,\" said Aco Firman, 12, an elementary school student who was
\nplaying on the beach along with his schoolmates when the quake
\nstruck.<\/p>\n
Suko Prayitno Adhi of the BMG ruled out the possibility of a
\ntsunami, saying the quake's epicenter was not at sea.<\/p>\n
\"The epicenter was inland and deep underground, so there will
\nnot be a tsunami,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The morning quake could be felt as far away as troubled Poso
\nregency, some 200 kilometers east of Palu.<\/p>\n
\"The quake shook the city a bit, but it did not cause any
\npanic in the city. Residents stayed at home; they are probably
\nused to quakes,\" said Abdul Harris Rengga, the head of the
\nInformation and Communications Office at the Poso regency
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
The last large earthquake to jolt Palu was on January 24. The
\nquake measured 6.2 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was
\nlocated in Bora subdistrict, some 16 kilometers southeast of
\nPalu. The quake prompted mass panic among residents, coming only
\na month after the tsunami in Aceh that killed about 129,000
\npeople.<\/p>\n
The tsunami was triggered by a monster earthquake measuring
\n9.3 on the Richter scale.<\/p>",
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