EARTHQUAKE IN PALU

The 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4
followed by a tsunami that hit the west coast of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, the northern part of
September 28 2018, at 18.02 WITA. The epicenter was 26 km north of Donggala and 80 km
northwest of Palu city with a depth of 10 km. The earthquake shock was felt in Donggala Regency,
Palu City, Parigi Moutong Regency, Sigi Regency, Poso Regency, Tolitoli Regency, Pasangkayu
Regency and even to Samarinda City, Balikpapan City and Makassar City. The earthquake triggered
a tsunami up to 5 meters high in Palu City.

Palu and Donggala were rocked by an earthquake on September 28 2018. That afternoon was
the start of a tragedy. At 17.02 WIB, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 shook the cities of
Palu and Donggala. The epicenter was at a depth of 10 km, 27 km northeast of Donggala. The
vibration was so strong that the chairs and tables of the people in Gowa Regency shook, even
though Gowa Regency is about 780 km from Palu City. Because of the stretching Palu-Koro Fault,
the bridge near Talise Beach was broken. The green dome of the Baiturrahman Mosque also
collapsed. Hotel Roa-roa collapsed because of hoarding people in it. The Meteorology,
Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) activated a tsunami early warning, alert status on
the west coast of Donggala and alert status for the north of Donggala, Mamuju and West Palu
City. A nearly 6 meter high tsunami with a speed of 800 km/hour hit Talise Beach, the height of
the waves reached the tall billboards near the beach. The people were in a frenzy, frantic screams.
Those who manage to reach tall buildings and are strong enough can survive, for example in Palu
Grand Mall. Even the video footage of Palu Grand Mall went viral on social media. However, many
people are victims of the ferocity of the waves from the sea. Buildings were destroyed, electricity
was cut off, telecommunication lines were cut. The sea water rose until it reached the 2nd floor
of the Mercure Palu Hotel. This was conveyed by the Mayor of Makassar Muhammad Ramdhan
'Danny' Pomanto through a conversation with Assistant II of the Makassar City Government,
Sittiara (Ira). This incident was conveyed by the Mayor of Makassar Muhammad Ramdhan 'Danny'
Pomanto through a conversation with Assistant II of the Makassar City Government Sittiara (Ira),
who is currently in Palu, Central Sulawesi. Sittiara was in Palu and her accommodation in the four-
star hotel was damaged. The coastal area of Donggala was also hit by the tsunami. BMKG ended
the tsunami early warning at 17.36 WIB.

Government officials in the earthquake-tsunami affected areas are difficult to contact.

Understandably, the situation was chaotic. "Earlier I tried to contact the Governor since this
afternoon and could not be contacted because the communication was cut off," Jokowi said at a
press conference at his residence in Solo, Central Java, Friday (28/9/2018). In Jakarta, the
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Wiranto
immediately held an emergency meeting to deal with the earthquake and tsunami in Palu and
Donggala. Teams from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), TNI, and technicians
immediately moved to Palu and Donggala. As of October 20 2018, the death toll from the
earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction in Central Sulawesi reached 2,113 people, 1,703 of whom
were in Palu City. A total of 4,612 people were seriously injured. There are 223,751 people
displaced in 122 points. Based on BNPB's year-end records, Tuesday (18/12/2018), the number
of victims killed was updated. 2,101 people died, Palu City 1,727 people, Sigi 188 people,
Donggala 171 people, Parigi Moutong 15 people, Pasangkayu 1 person. The missing victims were
1,373 people. The injured victims were 4,438 people. A total of 221,450 people were displaced.
Impact loss of Rp. 2.89 trillion, the impact of the damage was Rp. 15.58 trillion.

Reference
Nugroho Tri Laksono (28 September 2018). "BMKG Update Data for the 7.4 M Donggala Earthquake".
detikcom.

Arif, Ahmad (2 October 2018). "Disasters from Land and Sea". detikcom.

Eva Safitri. BNPB: Tsunami Height in Palu Reaches 5 Meters. detikNews Saturday 29 September 2018

Detik.com. (2018) Sore di Palu dan Donggala: Gempa, Tsunami, dan Likuifaksi
Retrieved from detik.com : https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4361370/sore-di-palu-dan-donggala-
gempa-tsunami-dan-likuifaksi.