At least 26 people died and more than 600 were injured as a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday, media reported on Friday citing rescue services. The epicentre was 36 kilometres south of the West Sulawesi province’s capital of Mamuju. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake depth was 18 kilometres.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that rescuers kept searching for people trapped under the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the earthquake. The death toll previously stood at seven.

The chief of Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics agency (BMKG), Dwikorita Karnawati, said that at least 26 aftershocks had been registered following the quake. Karnawati added that the country could still be hit by strong aftershocks that could cause a tsunami.

Full story: sputniknews.com

By Henry Batyaev, Alexandra Kashirina
Sputnik International