A magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi on Sunday evening, damaging government buildings and causing panic that drove residents to seek higher ground, local disaster officials said.

The quake, which hit at 9:46 p.m. local time (1346 GMT) near the town of Buol, was initially reported by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) at magnitude 5.4 before being revised. The shallow tremor, measured at a depth of 21 km, was strongly felt across several districts, with intensity IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale reported in Tolitoli, Biau, and Buol. Authorities confirmed damage to a public service mall, parts of the regional general hospital, and the inspectorate office, as well as houses in Kali village. Power outages were reported in some areas. “Residents are currently evacuating to higher ground as a precaution due to panic after the earthquake,” said Asbudianto, head of the provincial disaster management agency.

BMKG said the earthquake was triggered by subduction activity and that its modelling showed no tsunami potential. Yet the sight of people fleeing towards hills underscored how deep-seated memories of devastating tsunamis continue to shape public response in Indonesia. The agency urged residents to remain calm, avoid damaged structures, and rely on official information. Separately, a magnitude-5.3 quake struck near Waikabubak in East Nusa Tenggara province about 25 minutes earlier, also without tsunami risk; no damage was reported there.

The Indonesian tremors were part of a wider series of seismic events on Sunday. In the Bay of Bengal, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Kakinada, India, was felt in Visakhapatnam at around 5 a.m. local time, with no damage or injuries reported, according to Indian ocean information services. A 4.2-magnitude tremor occurred near Bakersfield, California, at 3:38 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey detected. Earlier, a cluster of four quakes, the strongest measuring 4.4, rattled the Nanded-Hingoli border area of Maharashtra state in India, prompting residents to flee their homes, though no casualties were recorded there either.

As of Sunday night, disaster teams in Buol were conducting rapid assessments in coordination with village and district authorities, while collecting data on displaced persons and urgent needs. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from any of the events. Investigations into the extent of structural damage continue.