Powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia, causing injuries and panic

Dozens of people injured after 6.0 magnitude earthquake hits central Sulawesi

Powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia, causing injuries and panic
Powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia, causing injuries and panic

Indonesia has been jolted by a powerful earthquake triggering damage and injuries.

According to Independent, at least 29 people were injured after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia’s central Sulawesi, sending residents scrambling from buildings in the early hours of Sunday.

The shallow quake, striking at a depth of 1 km (6.2 miles), shook Poso Regency and was felt across nearby areas, the country's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said.

Two people were critically injured and were receiving treatment at a hospital.

One church was reportedly damaged, and sections of another church that were under renovation gave way during the earthquake, trapping several people under the rubble.

A video from Poso shows worshippers gathered in a church singing hymns when the tremors struck. As the shaking intensified, the congregation abruptly stopped, with people screaming and rushing towards the exits in panic.

There were no immediate reports of deaths, BNBP added.

It comes a month after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia's far eastern coast sent tsunami waves heading towards Japan, Hawaii and the US west coast. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded and triggered alerts in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand and even as far as Peru, Chile and Mexico.

There were no tsunami warnings in the wake of Sunday’s earthquake.

Indonesia sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the Earth's crust meet and create large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

You Might Like: