Indonesia earthquake: 7.4 magnitude quake shakes South Sulawesi


The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's South Sulawesi province, prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.

The earthquake happened around 10.30 local time (03:30 GMT) on Tuesday in the Flores Sea. It affected the East Nusa Tenggara region, officials said.

No injuries or major damage has been reported yet but locals said they felt large tremors.

Tsunami warnings for the area were lifted later on Tuesday.

Videos on social media showed people in the city of Makassar running out of shops and buildings. Others showed dozens of people running down the corridors of a hospital in the district of Bantaeng, as a man's voice in the background is heard shouting "An earthquake in the hospital."

There are also reports that a hotel was evacuated.

Photos carried by a local media outlet showed some houses that had been partially destroyed as a result of the quake.

In Larantuka, a city in the East Nusa Tenggara region, residents were said to have been in "panic".

"Everyone was shocked. They were running from their homes. Some were ready to run to the hills," Mr Takdir, a resident told BBC Indonesia.

However, he added that most people had now "returned to their normal activities", adding there was no sign of a tsunami.

The quake comes just 10 days after the major Mount Semeru volcanic eruption on the island of Java, which killed at least 46 people.

Earthquakes are common in Indonesia as the archipelago lies on the "Ring of Fire", a curve of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Ocean.

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