1 killed, 10 injured after strong quakes strike off central Indonesia, tsunami warning lifted

Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-28 21:04:34|Editor: Yurou
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JAKARTA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency lifted the tsunami warning after a series of strong quakes including a 7.4-magnitude one rattled the Central Sulawesi province in central parts of the country, an official said Friday.

"The tsunami warning was lifted as the tsunami did not occur," official in charge of the agency Suci Dewi told Xinhua by phone.

The agency issued the warning after a revised 7.4 magnitude quake struck at 5:02 p.m. local time (1002 GMT) with an epicenter of 10 km underground at 27 km northeast Dongala district, the official said.

At least one people was killed and 10 others were injured after a series of strong quakes hit central Indonesia on Friday afternoon.

The agency first set the scale at 7.7-magnitude but then revised it to 7.4.

Twelve minutes after the quake, a strong aftershock of 6.1-magnitude followed.

The main shock rattled about three hours after a revised 6.0-magnitude quake jolted the area, killing one person and injuring 10 others with scores of houses damaged.

The jolts were felt strongly in Sirenja sub-district of Dongala district, triggering panic and forcing folks to rush outside their houses, spokesman of national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"Several houses were collapsed and damaged. The victims were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete," he told Xinhua in a text message.

Evacuation and risks assessment are underway, the spokesman said.

Most of the folks in the affected areas remain outside their houses as aftershocks persist, Sutopo added.

The quakes led to the closure of the main airport in the province and cut off communication, officials said.

Indonesian transport ministry shut down the SIS Al-Jufrie airport at 7:26 p.m. local time Friday (1126 GMT) and will reopen it at 7:20 p.m. local time Saturday (1120 GMT Saturday), spokesman Sindu Rahayu said.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-affected area popularly known as "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

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