Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Kills One, Damages Buildings in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi

JAKARTA: A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province late Sunday, leaving one person dead and causing damage to homes, public buildings and healthcare facilities, local authorities said.

According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency, the shallow earthquake occurred at 9:46 p.m. local time with a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). The epicentre was located in Buol Regency, and tremors were felt across neighbouring parts of Central Sulawesi and nearby Gorontalo Province.

Emergency officials said the victim was a patient at a regional hospital who died while being evacuated during the earthquake.

Moh Khacfy Mardjun, head of the Buol Disaster Mitigation Agency, said initial assessments revealed damage to several government offices, the regional hospital, a restaurant and numerous residential buildings.

“Preliminary inspections indicate that several public facilities and homes sustained damage. A hospital patient also lost their life during the evacuation process,” Mardjun said.

Authorities have launched emergency response operations, with teams continuing to assess structural damage, establish temporary shelters for affected residents and distribute relief supplies to communities impacted by the quake.

Indonesia, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries due to its position on multiple active tectonic plates. Strong earthquakes are frequent across the archipelago, often triggering widespread damage and emergency response efforts.