A shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck Central Sulawesi province in Indonesia on Tuesday morning, with a focal depth of only 10 kilometers. Strong tremors were felt in areas such as Palu and Sigi, but fortunately, there are currently no reports of tsunami risk.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency stated that the earthquake occurred at 10:27 am local time, with the epicenter in offshore waters near Central Sulawesi. Authorities confirmed after the quake that it would not trigger a tsunami.
A Palu resident, Nur Haidar, said in an interview that she was cooking in the kitchen when the earthquake struck, and the sudden violent shaking greatly alarmed her.
"I suddenly felt the tremor, and then the whole house seemed to be shaking. The entire roof was creaking, as if it was about to collapse."
She said that she immediately took her children and ran outside to seek safety. Although she was panicked for a while, they eventually escaped unharmed.
Indonesia is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, as it lies on the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where volcanic and seismic activities are highly active.
The "Pacific Ring of Fire" stretches about 40,000 kilometers around the Pacific rim, containing about 75% of the world’s active volcanoes and about 90% of its earthquake activity.
In 2018, Central Sulawesi’s Palu was struck by a powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, killing more than 2,200 people—one of Indonesia’s worst natural disasters in recent years.
Currently, authorities are still closely monitoring aftershock situations and assessing whether any buildings have been damaged.