A shallow 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Indonesia’s Sulawesi island early Wednesday (February 26, 2025), prompting residents to flee in panic but causing no reported damage or casualties, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor occurred at 6:55 a.m. local time (22:55 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with its epicenter offshore near North Sulawesi province. Indonesia’s meteorological agency measured the quake at magnitude 6.0 and confirmed there was no tsunami risk.
Residents described the moment of fear as the quake hit. “I had just woken up when I realized it was an earthquake. It was strong, swaying from side to side,” said Gita Waloni, a hotel guest in North Minahasa district. “Objects in my room rattled. I was scared there would be an aftershock while I was inside the lift, so I rushed outside with other guests.”
Indonesia, situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” frequently experiences earthquakes due to intense seismic activity in the region. In January 2021, a 6.2-magnitude quake in Sulawesi killed over 100 people and displaced thousands. In 2018, a devastating 7.5-magnitude quake and tsunami in Palu claimed more than 2,200 lives. The 2004 Aceh earthquake, one of the deadliest in history, triggered a tsunami that killed over 170,000 people in Indonesia.
Source: AFP
