The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Indonesia rises to 34

Mamuju, Indonesia – A powerful earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Sulawesi shortly after midnight on Friday, knocked down homes and buildings, caused landslides and killed at least 34 people.

More than 600 people were injured during the magnitude 6.2 earthquake, which caused people to flee their homes in the dark of night. Authorities continue to collect information on the extent of personal and property damage in the affected areas.

Hours after the quake, there were reports of many people trapped among the remains of collapsed buildings.

In a video released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, a girl trapped in the rubble of a house called for help and said she was listening to other relatives who could not get out either. “Help me please, it hurts me,” he told rescuers.

Rescuers said they needed an excavator to save the girl and those trapped under other buildings. Other images showed a broken bridge and damaged or destroyed homes. Televisions reported that the quake damaged part of a hospital and that patients were taken to emergency tents set up outside.

Another recording showed a man crying for help to save his children buried under the wreckage of his home. “They’re trapped inside, help me please,” he shouted.

Thousands of people were evacuated to temporary shelters.

The epicenter was reported 22 miles south of Mamuju County in Western Sulawesi, and 11 miles deep, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Indonesian authorities have raised the death toll to 34 people after rescuers in Mamuju recovered 26 bodies trapped under demolished buildings. Eight people were killed and another 637 were injured in Majene district near Mamuju, the disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.

At least 300 houses and a health center were damaged and about 15,000 people were in temporary shelters in the district, he added. In many areas there was no electricity or telephone service.

Muhamad Idris, secretary of administration of Western Sulawesi, told TVOne that the governor’s building was among the collapsed in Mamuju, the provincial capital, and many people there were still trapped.

The quake also caused landslides in three areas, blocking the main road linking Mamuju with Majene district, according to agency spokesman Raditya Jati.

On Thursday, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the region and damaged several homes, apparently without any casualties.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago with 260 million inhabitants, frequently records earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis due to its location in the Pacific Belt of Fire.