[News] Several dead and hundreds injured in Indonesia

[XZoro]

An earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has killed at least seven people and injured hundreds.

More than a dozen patients and staff are reported to be trapped in the rubble of a hospital that was damaged in the quake.

The 6.2-magnitude quake on Friday morning came just hours after an earlier, smaller quake.

Indonesia has a history of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis with more than 2,000 killed in a 2018 Sulawesi quake.

The epicentre of Friday's earthquake was six kilometres (3.73 miles) northeast of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Tremors were felt at around 01:00 local time on Friday (17:00 Thursday GMT) for about seven seconds. No tsunami warning was issued.

Thousands are reported to have left their homes, fleeing to safety.

Authorities have warned that strong aftershocks could follow the two main quakes and that they could still trigger a tsunami.

Local reports say among the badly damaged buildings include homes, two hotels, the governor's office and a mall.

Authorities said four people died in Majene and more than 600 were injured, while another three people died in neighbouring Mamuju.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the so-called Ring of Fire - a line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions on the Pacific rim.

In 2004, a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra killed 226,000 people across the Indian Ocean, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra after a quake of magnitude 9.1.