Image Source: timesofindia.com
An earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi Island killing at least 34 people. It leveled a hospital and severely damaged the buildings.
More than Hundreds of people were injured when a 6.2 magnitude quake struck in the early hours, triggering panic among the residents.
"The latest information we have is that 26 people are dead... in Mamuju city," said Ali Rahman, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, adding "that number could grow".
Additionally, the national disaster agency informed that at least 8 people had died in the area South of Mamuju, a city of West Sulawesi province.
"The hospital is flattened -- it collapsed," said Arianto from the rescue agency in Mamuju city, who goes by one name."There are patients and hospital employees trapped under the rubble and we're now trying to reach them," he added, without giving a specific figure.
Indonesia frequently experiences such seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific " Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide.
In 2018, it witnessed a 7.5 magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi which left more than 4,300 people dead.
In 2004, a 9.4 magnitude struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 2,20,000 throughout the region.