A 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Sulawesi island early Friday morning, toppling buildings and triggering landslides in a disaster that has killed at least 34 and injured hundreds.
Thousands fled their homes as the earthquake struck around 1 a.m. local time.
The earthquake decimated buildings and severed bridges connecting the country’s chain of islands, according to NBC News. The earthquake also damaged part of a hospital, forcing staff to move patients to an emergency tent outside, local news outlets reported.
One rescuer, Saidar Rahmanjaya, said the country lacked enough heavy equipment to rescue some people from the ruins of buildings.
“We are racing against time to rescue them,” Rahmanjaya said.
In a televised address, Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed condolences for those who had died and ordered his government and police to continue their search and rescue operations.
“I, on behalf of the government and all Indonesian people, would like to express my deep condolences to families of the victims,” Widodo said.
The earthquake is the second recent tragedy to strike the archipelago nation. Last week, an airliner carrying 62 people crashed in the Java Sea after leaving a Jakarta airport. No survivors have been found.
