Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake reportedly hit the city of Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Tuesday, at 10:37 a.m. local time (GMT+8), though no tsunami warning was issued.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the quakes epicenter was located at 0.28 degrees southern latitude and 119.74 degrees eastern longitude and approximately 17 kilometers north-west of Donggala district, Central Sulawesi.

Due to the intensity of the quake, the people in Palu fled their houses and office buildings to avoid the possibility of falling debris.

"I quickly ran out of my house with my wife, as I was worried about the falling debris from the house," noted Made, a resident who fled his house seconds after the earthquake took place.

In August 2014, Palu was struck by a 6.2-magnitude quake, which caused a major landslide in several locations such as Parigi Moutog and Sigi districts.

The strong earthquake killed eight people as they got buried in the debris in the earthquake-affected areas.

Hundreds of houses, school buildings, streets, and bridges incurred heavy damage due to the disaster.
(A050)


(T.A050/A/KR-BSR/F001) 15-07-2014 13:28:11

Editor: Ella Syafputri
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