Tsunami warning lifted after strong quake hits off Indonesia

LUWUK, Indonesia: A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia yesterday, the United States Geological Survey said, triggering a brief tsunami warning that sent panicked residents f leeing to higher ground.

The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 17 kilometres off the east coast of Sulawesi island, the USGS said, where a 7.5-magnitude quake-tsunami around the city of Palu killed more than 4,300 people last year.

Indonesia’s disaster agency issued a tsunami warning for coastal communities in Morowali district, where residents were advised to move away from the coast.

The warning was later lifted by the agency, which had estimated the wave at under a half a metre.

Video footage from Luwuk city showed scared residents — some carrying children — running from their homes and racing to higher ground on motorcycles.

The USGS wa r ned t hat considerable damage was possible in poorly built or badly designed structures.

But it was not immediately clear how much damage was caused by the quake or if there were any casualties. Hapsah Abdul Madjid, who lives in Luwuk city in Banggai district, Central Sulawesi, where the tremor was felt strongly, said people fled to higher ground and the electricity was cut, adding that residents panicked as fears soared over an imminent tsunami.

The tremor off the eastern coast of Sulawesi is on the other side of the island from disaster- hit Palu, where residents still felt the quake despite being hundreds of kilometres away.

“I ran straight outside after the earthquake — everything was swaying,” 29-year-old Palu resident Mahfuzah told AFP.