7.5 earthquake strikes Indonesia's Sulawesi island

Representational Image

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning that was lifted later.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics initially issued a tsunami alert, warning of the possibility of up to three metre high waves, but withdrew it later, Efe news reported.

No casualties were reported in the earthquake, registered at 6.02 p.m. with its epicentre around 56 km north of the Donggala city, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake followed a 6.1 magnitude tremor that struck the same region, killing one person and injuring 10 earlier in the day. Several buildings were collapsed.

The spokesperson of the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement that the first quake lasted 10 seconds and forced panicked residents to rush of their houses.

At least 557 people died and almost 400,000 were displaced by four earthquakes with intensities varying between 6.3 and 6.9 magnitude which struck Lombok island between July 29 and August 19.

Indonesia's deadliest ever tremor struck Sumatra island in 2014 and triggered a tsunami that killed nearly 280,000 people in around a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean, with the biggest number of casualties registered in Indonesia.

The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activities, where some 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates