75 Homes and Public Service Mall in Buol Damaged by M5.4 Earthquake

At least 75 homes have been reported damaged following a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in Buol Regency, Central Sulawesi, on Sunday (12/7). “Preliminary data shows 75 houses were damaged by the earthquake,” said Head of the Buol Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Moh Kachfi Mardjuni in a statement on Monday (13/7).

In addition to residential buildings, several public facilities were also affected, including the public service mall, the inspectorate office, a restaurant, and part of the patient care ward at Buol Regional General Hospital (RSUD).

A number of residents chose to evacuate to the Gunung Kali area and other sub-districts in Buol deemed safer. “Residents rushed out of their homes and some evacuated to areas considered safer, fearing aftershocks,” he explained.

Kachfi stated that BPBD Buol is still collecting data on the number of buildings affected by the quake. “Data collection and assessment are still ongoing, so the number of affected homes may still change,” he said.

According to information from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake occurred on Sunday evening at around 20:46 Central Indonesia Time (WITA). The epicentre was located 37 kilometres northeast of Buol at a depth of 10 kilometres. “The tremor was felt quite strongly in Buol Regency and in the areas of Tolitoli, Parigi Moutong, as well as Marisa and Tilamuta in Gorontalo Province,” he clarified.