At least 34 dead in an earthquake in Indonesia that damage homes and buildings News

Mamuju, Indonesia (AFP) – A strong, shallow earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi shortly after midnight Friday, knocking down homes and buildings, causing landslides and killing at least 34 people.

More than 600 people were injured during the 6.2-magnitude earthquake, and people were driven from their homes in the dark. Authorities are still gathering information on the full scale of casualties and damage in the affected areas.

There were reports of many people falling under the rubble of collapsed homes and buildings.

In a video clip released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, a girl stuck in the rubble of a house screamed for help and said she heard the voices of other family members trapped as well. “Please help me, it’s painful,” the girl told rescuers, who responded that they desperately wanted to help her.

Rescuers said an excavator was needed to rescue the girl and others trapped in collapsed buildings. Other photos showed a severed bridge and destroyed and destroyed homes. TV stations reported that the earthquake destroyed part of the hospital and patients were taken to an emergency tent outside.

Another video showed a father crying and calling for help to rescue his children, buried under their collapsed home. He shouted, “They are trapped inside, please help.”

Thousands of displaced people have been evacuated to makeshift shelters.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered 36 km south of Mamuju in West Sulawesi province, at a depth of 18 km (11 miles).

The Indonesian disaster agency said that the death toll rose to 34, while rescuers in Mamuju had recovered 26 bodies trapped under the rubble of collapsed homes and buildings.

In a statement, the agency said that eight were killed and 637 others were injured in the Mageni area, adjacent to Mamuju.

It added that at least 300 homes and health clinics had been damaged and about 15,000 people were staying in temporary shelters in the area. Electricity and phones were cut off in many areas.

West Sulawesi Administration Secretary Muhammad Idris told TVOne that the governor’s office building was among the buildings that collapsed in Mamuju, the provincial capital, and many people are still trapped.

Rescuer Cedar Rahmanjaya said the lack of heavy equipment is hampering the removal of rubble from collapsed homes and buildings. He said his team was working to rescue 20 people trapped in eight buildings, including the governor’s office, a hospital and hotels.

“We are racing against time to save them,” said Rahmanjaya.

Relatives sobbed as they watched rescuers pull the body of a loved one out of a damaged house in the stricken Mamuju. And she was placed in an orange bag and taken for burial.

“Oh my God, why do we have to go through this?” Rina, who used one name, cried. “I cannot save my dear sister … Forgive me, sister, forgive us, O God!”

President Joko Widodo said in a televised address that he had ordered his social minister and the leaders of the army, police and disaster agency to implement emergency response measures and search and rescue operations as quickly as possible.

“On behalf of the Indonesian government and people, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,” said Widodo.

National Search and Rescue Agency chief Pagus Puruhito said rescuers from Palu, Makassar, Balikpapan and Jakarta are being deployed to help Mamuju and Majin.

Two ships were heading to the affected areas of Makassar and Balikpapan carrying rescuers and search and rescue equipment, while a Hercules plane was carrying supplies coming from Jakarta.

Puruhito is already leading more than 4,100 rescuers in a separate massive search for the victims of the Sriwijaya Air plane crash in the Java Sea last Saturday.

Serageldin, head of the district disaster agency, said that among the dead in Mageni, three people were killed when the earthquake ripped through the ground while they were sleeping.

Serageldin, who uses one name, said that although the inland earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, people along the coastal areas ran to higher ground in fear of it.

The landslides occurred in three locations, and blocked a main road linking Mamuju with Majin district, said Raditya Jati, a spokesman for the disaster agency.

On Thursday, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the same area, and caused damage to many homes, but it did not seem to cause any casualties.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known by its Indonesian acronym BMKG, has warned of the dangers of aftershocks and the possibility of a tsunami. Its president urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground as a precaution.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific basin.

In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Palu, Sulawesi Island, triggered a tsunami and caused the soil to collapse in a phenomenon called liquefaction. More than 4,000 people died, and many of the victims were buried when whole lives were swallowed up in the fallen ground.

A powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean and a tsunami in 2004 killed 230,000 people in dozens of countries, most of them in Indonesia.

I mentioned Carmini from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos