No villages isolated after Central Sulawesi quake, residents erect tents

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has confirmed there are no reports of villages being isolated following the 6.7-magnitude earthquake in Central Sulawesi, and no centralised evacuation posts have been established as residents are taking shelter independently using tarpaulin tents.

“We have not yet built large-scale centralised evacuation tents equipped with communal kitchens. The community is mostly setting up temporary emergency tents from tarpaulins around their own homes,” said Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data, Information and Communication Centre, during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He explained that the self-initiated evacuations were largely driven by psychological trauma, given that the intensity of aftershock activity is still considered quite significant. According to updated data received from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), 118 aftershocks have been detected, with a decreasing magnitude trend following the main 6.7-magnitude quake on Tuesday afternoon, which was felt in several areas of Palu City, Poso Regency, Sigi, and Parigi Moutong.

Regarding regional connectivity, he confirmed that inter-regional transport routes remain open, although the road surface connecting the Palu, Sigi, and Poso corridors was temporarily covered by landslide material. The damage is projected to be handled quickly by the local Public Works Office, as the roadbed did not collapse due to the landslide, and it is targeted to be passable for public vehicles again within one to two days.

The BNPB Operations Control Centre reported that as of Wednesday afternoon, approximately 1,834 families, or a total of 5,784 individuals based on population data, have been affected by the earthquake and are being handled by the joint response team. Among those affected, one fatality has been recorded, along with 73 minor injuries and three serious injuries.

“The serious injuries involve bone fractures or wounds caused by collapsing building structures. The breakdown is 1,813 families in Sigi, 21 families in Parigi Moutong, two minor injuries in Palu, and one minor injury in Poso,” Abdul said.