An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi yesterday, causing residents to flee coastal areas out of fear of another tsunami, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and local officials said. However, the quake did not trigger a tsunami.
Indonesian officials recorded the quake at a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale. The Japanese Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue tsunami alerts after the quake.
One governor on the island told local radio that he had ordered a coastal evacuation.
PHOTO: AP
The quake struck 108km south of Gorontalo in northern Sulawesi, the USGS said. It was felt across parts of Sulawasi, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
An official at Indonesia's geological agency said the quake had been given an initial magnitude of6.6. It is common for different agencies to give different magnitudes for quakes.
The agency, which has been criticized for failing to warn residents ahead of the tsunami that hit Java last week, said that based on the 6.6 figure, the quake "had the potential to cause a tsunami."
A local policeman in the coastal town of Luwuk said hundreds of people there fled to higher ground after the quake struck, shouting "Beware tsunami! Beware tsunami!"
Patrols called off
High waves forced authorities to call off search efforts yesterday for hundreds of people still missing nearly a week after a tsunami crashed into Java's southern coast, killing at least 668.
The chance of finding survivors is considered unlikely, but marine police and navy boats have been carrying out daily patrols in search of corpses that were likely swept out to sea.
But others "should have been washed back to the coast," said Rahmat Zaelani, 44, who has worked as an officer with the Pangandaran marine police for almost 20 years. "Land searches may be more effective."
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake triggered last Monday's tsunami, which pummeled a 300km stretch of Java's coastline, destroying houses, restaurants and hotels. The 2m waves tossed boats, cars and motorbikes hundreds of meters inland.
At least 668 people were killed, and the toll has climbed steadily in recent days, with police and army teams hunting for bodies in flattened buildings and remote undergrowth.
Some 74,000 residents have been displaced and 287 people are missing, officials said.
Emergency workers hoped to continue their search today, but it depends on the weather.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was