1 killed, 10 injured after strong quakes strike off central Indonesia

Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-28 19:08:56|Editor: Yurou
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JAKARTA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least one people was killed and 10 others were injured after strong earthquakes hit central Indonesia on Friday afternoon.

A shallow under-earth quake of 7.4-magnitude rattled Sulwesi province on Friday, and was potential for tsunami, meteorology and geophysics agency said here.

The agency first set the scale at 7.7-magnitude but then revised it to 7.4, official in charge at the agency Suci Dewi said.

The quake struck at 17:02 Jakarta time (1002 GMT) with epicenter at 27 km northeast Dongala district and a shallow of 10 km under land, the official said.

"A tsunami warning remains in place now," she told Xinhua by phone.

Twelve minutes after the quake, a strong aftershock of 6.1-magnitude followed, the official said.

The main shock rattled about three hours after a revised 6.0-magnitude quake jolted the area, killing one person and injuring 10 others with scores of houses damaged, according to the agency and the disaster management agency.

The jolts were felt strongly in Sirenja sub-district of Dongala district, triggering panic and forcing folks to rush outside their houses, spokesman of national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"Several houses were collapsed and damaged. The victims were hit by the debris and falling blocks of concrete," he told Xinhua in a text message.

Evacuation and assessment of the downside risks of the natural disaster are being undertaken by officials, the spokesman cited.

Most of the folks in the affected areas remain outside their houses as aftershocks persist, Sutopo added.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-affected area popularly known as "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

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