Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Near Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia, Kills Three; 703 Aftershocks Recorded
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck near Palu in Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, on June 16, 2026. According to the reviewed catalog of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 03:27 UTC (11:27 a.m. local time) on June 16, with its epicenter 40 kilometers southeast of Palu at a depth of 11 kilometers. It generated no tsunami, and the USGS loss assessment was a yellow PAGER alert.
In a situation report issued on June 19, Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that, according to local disaster agency reports and field assessments, Sigi Regency was the hardest hit and three people had died: the first victim died of a heart attack triggered during the quake; the second died on June 17 while being treated at RSUD Torabelo Hospital in Sigi; and the third died in the early hours of June 18 while being treated at Bala Keselamatan Hospital in Palu. A preliminary figure of one death released on the night of the quake has been superseded by this final count.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had recorded 703 aftershocks as of June 18, the largest magnitude 5.2 and the smallest 1.3, of which 25 were felt. Central Sulawesi Province declared a seven-day state of emergency from June 17 to 23. BNPB chief Suharyanto visited Sigi Regency on June 19 and announced repair grants for damaged homes of 15 million rupiah for light damage, 30 million for moderate damage and 60 million for heavy damage, with additional temporary housing funds for heavily damaged households. Officials also identified 24 landslide points, four of them blocked by slide material, posing a flash-flood risk.
BNPB has delivered tents, food packages, mattresses and blankets to the affected area and set up temporary places of worship for damaged churches and mosques. The Palu area was devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2018, and this strong quake briefly sent residents fleeing outdoors in panic.
Source: National Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：印度尼西亚中苏拉威西省 Palu 市区（资料照片，非本次地震灾情现场）。Fitrianiidris1981 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The city of Palu in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia (file photo, not a scene of damage from this earthquake). Photo by Fitrianiidris1981, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
