Indonesia quake dead pulled from under rubble

An aftershock jolted Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Saturday (January 16) as rescue workers combed the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors after an earthquake killed over 40 people Friday and sent thousands of residents fleeing in panic.

The country’s disaster mitigation agency said no damage or casualties were reported from Saturday’s magnitude-5.0 tremor in the West Sulawesi districts of Mamuju and Majene, which shook the area a day after the magnitude-6.2 quake.

Agency head Doni Monardo told local TV the search continued for people who could still be trapped alive under rubble, and a spokesman told reporters emergency measures had been put in place in the province to help rescue efforts.

More than 820 people were injured and about 15,000 left their homes after the quake, the agency said. Some sought refuge in the mountains, while others went to cramped evacuation centres, witnesses said.