Nearly 80 Killed in Friday’s Earthquake in Indonesia

Jakarta – The death toll from a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Friday has gone up to 78, local news reported on Sunday.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 1:28 a.m. Jakarta time, was 6 kilometers northeast of the city of Majene, at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

On Saturday, Indonesian media reported citing Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) data that the death toll was at 46, while the number of injured was at 637.

West Sulawesi authorities have declared a state of emergency in the region.

According to BNPB chief Doni Monardo, the state of emergency could be lifted within one or two weeks depending on the situation.

Over $284,000 have been allocated to eliminate the consequences of the disaster.

Initially, nearly 15,000 people were forced to leave their homes.