7.5 Earthquake Hits Sulawesi
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Monday, November 17, 2008
A powerful earthquake has struck off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi but fears of a tsunami receded after the country withdrew an initial warning.
The 7.5 quake struck hit the coastal town of Gorontalo at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), and was followed by a magnitude 5.8 aftershock. Panic gripped the town but the tremors appear to have caused little damage, with one person reportedly injured.
The Indonesian tsunami alert was lifted shortly after being issued. US monitors were warning the quake could create a destructive tsunami within 1,000km (620 miles) of the epicentre.
Reporting Sunday's quake, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center called for authorities in the region to "take immediate action to evacuate coastal areas".
A 2004 tsunami killed nearly a quarter of a million people, most of them in Indonesia's Aceh region.
That disaster led to pressure for better tidal warning systems in the region and Indonesia launched a new hi-tech system on Tuesday aimed at detecting tidal waves and providing faster alerts.