Large earthquake spreads panic in Indonesia

A large earthquake measuring 6

A large earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter in Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island has killed one person, damaged buildings and spread panic among residents.

A large quake was also felt in the Aceh provincial capital, Banda Aceh, this morning, rattling buildings and sending residents running into the streets.

The tremors came nearly a month after a huge earthquake off Aceh province in western Sumatra island that sent a tsunami hurtling across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 234,000 people, most in Indonesia.

The Indonesian government yesterday revised the death toll upwards by 7,000, saying more people on the island of Sumatra had died - bringing the total there to 173,981.

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Police patrolled the streets of the coastal city of Palu, Indonesia, calming residents, many of whom feared a tsunami could be on its way. The city is about 10 miles from the quake's epicentre.

At Palu's main hospital, patients fled the building in panic, some carrying intravenous drips.

Residents said the earthquake had been followed by several aftershocks. Media reported the airport in Palu had been closed due to damage.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands and the world's fourth most populous nation, lies along the "Pacific Ring of Fire", where plate boundaries intersect and volcanoes regularly erupt.