26 people injured in quake-hit C. Sulawesi

26 people injured in quake-hit C. Sulawesi

JAKARTA (JP): The number of people injured in a weekend earthquake in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu has reached 26.

The earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the open-ended Richter scale, also damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings. So far no deaths have been reported.

"Only three out of the 26 injured are still being treated at a government clinic in Sausu Trans village, the rest have returned home," Mohammad Haerollah, an official of the Central Sulawesi office of the Ministry of Social Services, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Officials at the meteorology and geophysics office in Palu said earlier that the epicenter was in the Gulf of Tomini, 32 kilometers east of Palu, at a depth of 33 kilometers.

The office recorded 396 tremors between 5:30 a.m. on Saturday and 12:00 a.m. yesterday. However, locals only felt 47 of the tremors.

Antara news agency reported on Saturday that most of the casualties were adults, injured by collapsing structures. The agency also said that victims were mainly residents of the Sausu, Suli, Torono, and Malakosa villages.

Thousands of residents in the quake-affected area were afraid to stay in their houses as the jolts continued, and preferred instead to camp in emergency tents or move to secure places.

The local authorities were still counting the exact number of damaged or destroyed buildings, the report said.

However, Haerollah told the Post that 115 houses were damaged in the earthquake along with four schools, three mosques, three churches, and hundreds of small Hindu temples.

The agency reported that a TVRI television transmission station in Donggala regency was heavily damaged.

Sudaryo, head of the Central Sulawesi TVRI station, said that he had not received detailed reports about the damage.

Meanwhile, Haerollah denied earlier reports that the earthquake had also damaged roads and bridges in the city. "The traffic here is normal," he said.

He added that his office was still calculating the total loss inflicted in the earthquake.

"I cannot give the breakdown of the total loss caused by the earthquake since we have not received all data concerning the damage," he said.

He said local officials have channeled relief aid, including money, food and clothes, to the victims. (imn)