The death toll from a strong earthquake in Indonesia has risen to 34

Mamuju, Indonesia – A strong shallow earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia shortly after midnight, overturned houses and buildings, caused landslides and killed at least 34 people.

More than 600 people were injured during the magnitude 6.2 earthquake, which sent people fleeing their homes in the middle of the night. Authorities continue to collect information on the degree of personal and material damage in the affected areas.

A few hours after the earthquake, many people were reported trapped in the remains of collapsed buildings.

In a video released by the National Agency for Disaster Mitigation, a girl trapped in the rubble of a house called for help and said she was listening to other relatives who could not even leave. “Please help me, it hurts,” he told rescuers.

Rescuers said they needed a bulldozer to save the girl and those trapped under other buildings. Other images showed a cut bridge and damaged or destroyed homes. Television stations reported that the quake affected part of a hospital and that patients were transferred to emergency tents set up outside.

Another recording showed a man crying for help to save his children buried under the remains of his house. “I’m trapped inside, please help me,” he shouted.

Thousands were evacuated to temporary shelters.

The epicenter was reported 22 miles south of Mamuju County in West Sulawesi Province and 11 miles deep, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Indonesian authorities have raised the death toll to 34 after rescuers in Mamuju recovered 26 bodies trapped under collapsed buildings. Eight people were killed and 637 others injured in the Majene district near Mamuju, the disaster relief agency said in a statement.

At least 300 homes and a health center were damaged and about 15,000 people were in temporary shelters in the district, he added. There are no electricity or telephone services in many areas.

Muhamad Idris, administration secretary for West Sulawesi, told TVOne that the governor’s building was one of those that collapsed in Mamuju, the provincial capital, and many people were still trapped there.

The quake caused landslides in three areas, blocking the main road linking Mamuju to the Majene neighborhood, according to the agency’s spokeswoman, Raditya Jati.

On Thursday, an underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 hit the same region, damaging several homes, apparently without any victims.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, frequently faces earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis due to its location in the Ring of Fire of the Pacific.