Strong Quake Hits Along Indonesia's Western Sulawesi Island

By Scott Neuman / NPR

Published September 28, 2018 at 1:05 AM PDT

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck along the western coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake has struck along the western coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Indonesia's geological agency says there is no threat of a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, with an epicenter about 50 miles north of Palu, was just six miles deep. The area where it struck is sparsely populated.

"Based on historical data and tsunami modelling, this earthquake is not capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region," said the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia.

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The strong quake followed a milder 6.1 magnitude temblor hours earlier in the same area. That temblor destroyed some houses, killing one person and injuring about 10 others, Reuters reports.

At least 10 other earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 5.0 hit the same area of Sulawesi over the course of a few hours, the USGS said.

In August, dozens of people were killed in an earthquake that struck Indonesia's Lombok island.