Strong quake triggers panic in Palu

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu

A strong earthquake jolted Palu and the surrounding areas on Sunday morning, sparking panic among city residents.

Fearing building collapses and the possibility of a tsunami, many residents fled their homes for higher ground.

The Palu Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) reported the earthquake that struck the coastal city at 7:40 a.m. measured 5.7 on the Richter scale. The quake's epicenter was about 30 kilometers underground in Sungku subdistrict, some 60 kilometers southeast of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi.

As of 4 p.m., no fatalities or serious injuries had been reported. Several houses in Sungku subdistrict were reportedly damaged in the quake, ranging from partial collapses to broken windows.

The strong quake sent a wave of panic through residents of Palu. One resident was seen fleeing his home wrapped in a bath towel, his body still covered with soap.

"The quake was very strong. My television set fell to the floor and broke," said Usman, a resident of Kotapulu subdistrict, Donggala regency, some 17 kilometers south of Palu.

Motorists fled from gasoline stations for fear that the earthquake would trigger a fire. Many holiday goers staying near the coast left for higher ground.

"Following the quake, we were told by our teacher to leave the beach," said Aco Firman, 12, an elementary school student who was playing on the beach along with his schoolmates when the quake struck.

Suko Prayitno Adhi of the BMG ruled out the possibility of a tsunami, saying the quake's epicenter was not at sea.

"The epicenter was inland and deep underground, so there will not be a tsunami," he said.

The morning quake could be felt as far away as troubled Poso regency, some 200 kilometers east of Palu.

"The quake shook the city a bit, but it did not cause any panic in the city. Residents stayed at home; they are probably used to quakes," said Abdul Harris Rengga, the head of the Information and Communications Office at the Poso regency administration.

The last large earthquake to jolt Palu was on January 24. The quake measured 6.2 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was located in Bora subdistrict, some 16 kilometers southeast of Palu. The quake prompted mass panic among residents, coming only a month after the tsunami in Aceh that killed about 129,000 people.

The tsunami was triggered by a monster earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale.