August 18, 2012 – A 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake Struck Sulawesi, Indonesia: The quake struck at 5:41PM local time. It was 9:41AM in London (GMT), 5:41AM in New York, 4:41AM in Chicago, 3:41AM in Denver and 2:41AM in Los Angeles. The tremor occurred at 20 kilometers (13 miles). A shallow quake of this magnitude could produce moderate damages in cities close to the epicenter. The quake occurred 35 miles SSE of Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia; 44 miles west of Poso, Indonesia; 111 miles north of Rantepau, 123 miles northeast of Mamuju, 226 miles east of Balikpapan, 244 WSW of Gorontalo, Sulawesi; and 560 miles southeast of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) stated that there is no danger of a tsunami, because the earthquake occurred too far inland. Note: This quake was downgraded by the USGS from 6.6 to 6.3 five hours after it occurred.
Update August 20, 2012: An earthquake that struck rural Indonesia left at least four people dead, authorities said Sunday. At least seven others were injured, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The 6.6-magnitude hit Saturday (downgraded to 6.3) near the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Three of the hardest-hit districts are still unreachable because landslides triggered by the quake are blocking the roads. Heavy equipment and bulldozers are helping clear the roads. Disaster, health and social welfare officials, including the Red Cross, are headed to the area to provide emergency assistance, trucks and ambulances.
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