Homes, Hotels, and Regent's Office Damaged by M6.7 Palu Earthquake
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has reported building damage resulting from a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Palu. The damage is classified as moderate, with one of the affected structures being the Sigi Regent’s Office.
Damage was also observed at a number of houses in Parigi Moutong Regency, a cafe in Palu city, the Santika Palu Hotel, and the Auditorium of Tadulako University.
“As of 12 o’clock, this is the only update we have received, categorised as moderate non-structural damage,” said Teguh Rahayu, Director of Engineering Seismology, Potential Geophysics, and Time Signals, during a press conference on Tuesday (16/6/2026).
“BMKG has deployed teams to the field to conduct surveys and observe the impact of the earthquake,” he added.
The earthquake in Palu occurred at 10:27:44 WIB on Tuesday morning. The magnitude 6.7 quake had a depth of 10 km and was confirmed not to have tsunami potential.
Deputy for Geophysics, Nelly Florida Riama, explained that the earthquake was a shallow type caused by activity on the Sausu fault.
“The epicentre of the earthquake is located at coordinates 1.03 degrees south latitude, 120.24 degrees east longitude, precisely on land at a distance of 42 km southeast of Palu, Central Sulawesi. Considering the epicentre location and hypocentre depth, the earthquake that occurred is a shallow earthquake due to Sausu fault activity,” she clarified.
The following is the earthquake intensity scale reported by BMKG:
• VII MMI (Minor damage to well-constructed houses, but poorly constructed buildings cracked or even collapsed; felt by people in vehicles) occurred in Sigi
• VI MMI (Vibration felt by all residents; wall plaster fell and factory chimneys damaged) occurred in Palu, North Parigi, Poso
• V MMI (Vibration felt by almost all residents; objects thrown about; poles visibly swayed) in Parigi Moutong, South Banawa
• IV MMI (Felt by many people during the day; pottery broke; windows or doors creaked; walls made sounds) in Sindue, Balaesang, Masamba