| November 17, 2008 |
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JAKARTA - A powerful earthquake struck in an area off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi but the country later lifted a tsunami warning. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the coastal town of Gorontalo early on Monday, and was followed by a magnitude 5.8 aftershock, destroying houses and triggering a tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of fatalities, officials said. The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 before downgrading it to 7.5, said it struck 136km off Gorontalo at a depth of 21km. US officials issued a tsunami warning for an area within 1,000km of the epicenter, but the Indonesian tsunami alert was lifted shortly after being issued. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) warned that "this earthquake has the potential to generate a destructive regional tsunami along coasts located within a thousand kilometers of the earthquake epicenter". The PAK Orphanage Project Indonesia location in South Sulawesi is safe and far away from the epicenter in North Sulawesi. |