January 18th – Comprehensive report: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in the early morning of the 15th in West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, which has caused hundreds of casualties.
As rescue workers found more victims from the ruins, the death toll also rose to 78. On the other hand, heavy rain hindered the progress of search and rescue work.
It is reported that Indonesian rescue workers found the remains of more victims from the ruins of houses and buildings that collapsed in the earthquake on the 17th, raising the death to 78.
The earthquake also injured more than 800 people, more than half of whom are still receiving treatment for serious injuries, said Raditia Jatti, spokesman for the National Disaster Relief Agency.
Nearly 27,850 people were moved to shelters, according to the disaster agency.
Jati said that more heavy equipment arrived in the most affected cities of Mamuju and Majanei.
At present, the power supply and telephone communication in the earthquake area have begun to improve.
The government of West Sulawesi Province reportedly declared a state of emergency after the earthquake.
Disaster Management Director Doni Monaldo said the state of emergency could be lifted in nearly a week to two weeks.
After the earthquake, the President of Indonesia expressed condolences to the families of the victims and ordered the local government to actively attack the disaster.
The Disaster Management Agency provided 284,000 US dollars in assistance to the affected areas, while delivering relief supplies such as tents and masks to the local government.
However, the heavy rain brought by the rainy season hindered search and rescue operations. Search and rescue personnel said that the rain posed a great risk.
If the rain was too heavy, damaged buildings could collapse, and aftershocks may also cause buildings to move.
Indonesia is located in the Pacific Rim seismic belt, with thousands of earthquakes every year.
In September 2018, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurred in Donggara District, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia.
The earthquake and the tsunami caused by it killed more than 2,000 people.
