Quake triggers panic in Central Sulawesi
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.