Earthquake in eastern Indonesia sends people rushing into the street in terror

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A strong and swift earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island Wednesday, causing panic among residents, who ran to the streets for safety.

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Authorities said there was no immediate threat or sign that the quake triggered a tsunami.

The magnitude 6.5 quake struck at a depth of about 13 miles and was centred 76 miles southeast of Mondayang. The town is part of Sulawesi in the group of islands that was struck by the horrific 2004 tsunami that took the lives of 230,000 people.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had no potential of triggering a tsunami. Tremors were felt in Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, even those from the capital region were seen running into the streets for safety.

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Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. The region is prone to earthquakes due to its proximity of the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” The infamous Ring of Fire consists of an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin that make the area a hot-spot for natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis.

The 2004 ‘Boxing Day’ Tsunami that took the lives of 230,000 was one of the worst natural disasters in modern-day history. Northern Sumatra region of Aceh lost the most lives in any recorded natural disaster in modern-day history, losing a total of 170,000 residents in one specific region of Indonesia.

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