Magnitude 6.1 hits off Sulawesi, Indonesia
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A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sulawesi Island on Wednesday morning, prompting residents to flee their homes.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported no immediate damage or casualties from the shallow tremor, which hit at 6:55 a.m. local time (2255 GMT).
The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with its epicenter offshore near North Sulawesi province, the USGS said. Indonesia's meteorological agency reported a slightly lower magnitude of 6.0, adding there was no risk of a tsunami.
Locals in North Sulawesi described a brief but intense panic when the quake hit. "I had just woken up when I realized it was an earthquake. It was strong, swaying from side to side," said Gita Waloni, a 25-year-old hotel guest in North Minahasa district. "Objects inside my room rattled. I decided to get out. I was so scared there would be an aftershock while I was inside the lift. All other guests had also fled."
Indonesia is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area known for frequent seismic activity due to tectonic plate collisions. In January 2021, a magnitude-6.2 quake in Sulawesi killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands. A magnitude-7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu in 2018 killed over 2,200 people. The 2004 Aceh earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.1, caused a deadly tsunami that claimed more than 170,000 lives in Indonesia.
