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JAKARTA, Indonesia — At least four people were killed and about 60 seriously injured after a powerful earthquake struck near the island of Sulawesi in central Indonesia early Monday.
The epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude quake was located underwater, several miles off the coast, prompting the Indonesian authorities to issue a tsunami warning. It was lifted several hours later.
The tsunami alert was the first since Indonesian authorities officially launched its long-awaited early warning system last week.
Authorities said thousands of houses were damaged and at least one school collapsed in rural towns in central Sulawesi. Several aftershocks followed, sending villagers fleeing into the streets, fearing a possible tsunami.
At least one hospital was evacuated and more than 12 hours after the initial shock, residents remained outdoors on high ground, according to Indonesia’s state news agency.
Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, which straddle the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area where three tectonic plates merge causing continuous seismic activity, is regularly struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia’s northernmost province, killing more than 130,000 people.
Since then, the Indonesian government has improved its ability to respond to disasters, revamping its disaster management agency, mobilizing its military and installing the tsunami early-warning system.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the launch last week that the system was “crucial” in preventing the kind of devastation seen in Aceh in 2004.
A string of buoys set around the country are connected to sensors below the water’s surface that quickly detect the kind of undersea earthquakes that cause tsunamis. At the launch, scientists said the system can also predict how high the waves will be and when they will arrive on land.
The epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude quake was located underwater, several miles off the coast, prompting the Indonesian authorities to issue a tsunami warning. It was lifted several hours later.
The tsunami alert was the first since Indonesian authorities officially launched its long-awaited early warning system last week.
Authorities said thousands of houses were damaged and at least one school collapsed in rural towns in central Sulawesi. Several aftershocks followed, sending villagers fleeing into the streets, fearing a possible tsunami.
At least one hospital was evacuated and more than 12 hours after the initial shock, residents remained outdoors on high ground, according to Indonesia’s state news agency.
Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, which straddle the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area where three tectonic plates merge causing continuous seismic activity, is regularly struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia’s northernmost province, killing more than 130,000 people.
Since then, the Indonesian government has improved its ability to respond to disasters, revamping its disaster management agency, mobilizing its military and installing the tsunami early-warning system.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the launch last week that the system was “crucial” in preventing the kind of devastation seen in Aceh in 2004.
A string of buoys set around the country are connected to sensors below the water’s surface that quickly detect the kind of undersea earthquakes that cause tsunamis. At the launch, scientists said the system can also predict how high the waves will be and when they will arrive on land.
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