Gov’ t Cautions Against Major Aftershock in West Sulawesi as Death Toll Climbs to 42

Rescue workers from the National Search and Rescue Firm (Basarnas) examine a ruin to find a survivor in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, on Saturday. (Antara Photo/Sigid Kurniawan)

Jakarta At least 42 individuals have passed away from the West Sulawesi earthquake, and more than 800 people suffered small to serious injuries as the search and rescue teams work all the time to find individuals trapped under the ruins and bring back power to the region, the National Catastrophe Mitigation Company said on Saturday.

The agency, also known as BNPB, said more than 15,000 people were displaced and collected in 10 evacuation points in Mamuju and Majene, 2 districts that suffered the most from the earthquake. Mamuju has actually so far reported 34 deaths, while Majane recorded eight fatalities.

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake shocked the region at 02: 28 a.m. regional time on Friday, ruining hundreds of houses and structures, consisting of the West Sulawesi guv’s workplace. The shock likewise eliminated the power in the districts.

” Until now, Majene is still in the process of fixing the power network, so that the entire area is still in a blackout,” Raditya Jati, BNPB’s head of information, info, and interaction, stated in a statement on Saturday.

” Some areas in Mamuju already have the power back, however some others are still experiencing disruptions,” he said.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Company (BMKG) reported 31 minor shocks in the province because Friday. The company alerted that another significant shock at a scale similar to Friday’s earthquake could still occur in the next few days, with the potential to trigger more landslides in the hillside and a tsunami in the coastal area.

” BNPB advises the general public constantly to be familiar with the potential for aftershocks of significant magnitude,” Raditya said.

The public also needs to “be vigilant, especially those in hilly locations with cliffs. Individuals who reside in seaside or seaside locations are also anticipated constantly to be alert and immediately keep away from the beach when they feel an aftershock,” Raditya said.

The Health Ministry has actually provided 50,000 surgical masks and 20,000 cloth masks to Mamuju and Majene district to prevent the Covid-19 from spreading in the short-term shelters. West Sulawesi has 825 active Covid-19 cases on Friday, among the lowest in Indonesia, the Health Ministry information showed.