At least 42 dead as Indonesia quake topples homes, buildings
The HinduA strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island just after midnight, toppling homes and buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least 42 people. The Indonesian disaster agency said the death toll climbed to 42 as rescuers in Mamuju retrieved 34 bodies trapped in the rubble of collapsed homes and buildings. West Sulawesi Administration Secretary Muhammad Idris told TVOne that the Governor's office building was among those that collapsed in Mamuju, the provincial capital, and many people there remained trapped. Among the dead in Majene were three people killed when their homes were flattened by the quake while they were sleeping, said Sirajuddin, the districts disaster agency chief. Sirajuddin, who goes by one name, said although the inland earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, people along coastal areas ran to higher ground in fear one might occur.