REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KENDARI -- A minor tectonic earthquake hit northwestern part of Southeast Sulawesi Province on Thursday evening at around 11:19 pm local time. So far, there were no immediate reports on damages.
The 3.8-magnitude earthquake was located around 26.8 km away from northwest of Kendari, the province's capital city, with the epicenter's latitude and longitude of 3.93 N/122.38 W, the Kendari Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) revealed.
The agency's head, Rosa Amelia, said the quake's shaking was recorded at III Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. "The tremors can be felt by many people but there are no immediate reports on damages," she said.
Rosa Amelia urged the people to stay calm. Due to the fact that it lies on Pacific ring of fire, Indonesia is prone to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Also read: 3.8 million Indonesian run risk of tsunami threat
Over the past two month, strong earthquakes shook the island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province, and certain parts of the city of Palu and districts of Donggala and Sigi in Central Sulawesi Province, causing serious catastrophes. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that rocked Palu, Donggala, and Sigi, on Friday (Sept 28) was followed by tsunami.
A collaborative work of Indonesian and Thai scientists has pegged that the catastrophe that hit the disaster zones in Central Sulawesi, damaged at least 5,146 buildings. Palu suffered the worst impact of the strong earthquake and tsunami.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency recorded that the disaster had killed at least 1,407 people and displaced thousands of others. In response to the catastrophe, President Joko Widodo had expressed his condolences to those affected.
Due to a large number of rotting corpses, the authorities and humanitarian workers have decided to bury them in mass graves. However, economic activities in Palu, Central Sulawesi, have begun to show life after being shattered by the strong earthquake and tsunami.
Some traders at the Manonda Market have begun operating again, while security officers from the military and police continued to maintain security there.
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