Indonesia: Earthquake kills at least 6, injures 49
A woman checks her damaged house in the village of Tuva village on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Aug/ 19, 2012, following a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that killed at least six people. The quake struck on Aug. 19 near the mountainous districts of Parigi Moutong and Sigi in Central Sulawesi province.
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi Island on Sunday, killing at least 6 people, seriously wounding 8, and slightly injuring 35, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Hundreds of buildings were destroyed.
"The quake was felt strongly for 15 seconds in Palu as people were breaking the fast" said a spokesman for BNPB, according to Newser. Sunday was the last day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of BNPB told SeattlePI that rescue workers are clearing roads to at least 14 towns cut off by landslides.
Helicopters are delivering food and water to residents who cannot be reached by overland supply routes, CNN reports. BNPB says food, blankets and tents are urgently needed.
On Dec. 26, 2004, an under water megathrust earthquake created a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people, many from Indonesia's Aceh province.
Indonesia sits within the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe shaped area in the Pacific Basin that experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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