Quake triggers panic in Central Sulawesi
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Panic broke out in Central Sulawesi on Monday, when a strong earthquake hit the province causing thousands of people to take refuge in the highlands for fear of a repeat of last month's tsunamis.
The quake, which occurred at 4:10 am local time and measured 6.2 on the Richter scale, destroyed at least 23 buildings in two subdistricts close to the epicenter, some 16 kilometers from Palu.
Antara news agency reported that at Undata General Hospital in the provincial capital, patients -- some with intravenous drips still attached to their arms -- ran out of the building, while doctors and nurses struggled to evacuate others.
Adding to the tension, paramedics feared that two oxygen tanks in the emergency room, which had fallen over, would explode.
As the hospital is located just 500 meters away from the Talise coast, patients and medical workers had imagined the worst.
Many people arrived to personally evacuate their family members.
As of Monday evening, thousands of residents were still camping out after reportedly feeling more than 130 aftershocks.
"We are afraid there will be a strong tidal wave, which will sweep through the city. We are scared to go home because there are still aftershocks. Many people fear a tsunami, like in Aceh," the news agency quoted a resident as saying.
Across the nation, people are fearful of a repeat of the Dec. 26 catastrophe, which killed more than 174,000 people in Indonesia and injuring 50,000 others.
Local police reported the death of an elderly man who suffered a heart attack during the earthquake, and said four others had suffered serious injuries.
Spokesman for the Central Sulawesi provincial administration Rais Adam confirmed that, as a result of the earthquake, public services and business activities had ceased, while all schools in the city had suspended their activities.
He said the breakdown of public services and the closure of shops in the city was largely due to the fact that most residents had fled to higher ground.
"Many people have returned, but they are reluctant to stay inside their homes for fear of aftershocks and tsunamis," he added.
Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Aryanto Sutadi concurred, saying the aftershocks had caused an extraordinary reaction from residents.
Chief of Palu Meteorology and Geophysics Agency Suko Prayitno Adi called for calm as tsunamis are caused by submarine earth movement.
"A tsunami will only ensue if the epicenter is underwater," he said, adding that it was necessary to disseminate accurate information on earthquakes and tsunamis to the public.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago of almost 18,000 islands strung along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates impact under immense pressure.
Suko said that Sulawesi had been shaken by seven strong earthquakes and tsunamis over the last 78 years, killing thousands of people.
Two of the strongest quakes, with submarine epicenters, struck the province mid-1938 and on Aug. 14, 1968 respectively. The two quakes raised strong tsunamis that killed thousands of people in the regencies of Parigi-Moutong and Donggala.