Why does indonesia have many earthquakes

Eight people died when the five-storey Mitra Manakarra Hospital in Mamuju partially collapsed on Friday, officials said.

About 60 people were safely evacuated from the hospital. He said the power in the hospital cut out during the earthquake. Officials fear the death toll will increase as rescue efforts continue. Rescuers were still searching for survivors late on Friday, but they have been hampered by power cuts and poor mobile phone service.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered condolences to the victims, urging people to stay calm and for the authorities to step up search efforts. The epicentre of Friday's quake was six kilometres 3. Video footage on social media showed collapsed houses and a girl pinned under rubble calling for help. She said the governor's office was among the collapsed buildings and confirmed that several hospitals and one hotel had also been damaged.

She also warned that getting response teams to the area could be hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. No tsunami warning was issued but thousands are reported to have left their homes, fleeing to safety. Authorities have warned that strong aftershocks could follow the two main quakes and that they could still trigger a tsunami. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the so-called Ring of Fire - a line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions on the Pacific rim.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. The Earth's plates grind against each other all the time. Sometimes they get stuck and pressure builds - an earthquake is the sudden and violent release of this pressure. The archipelago has also been created by its location on the ring, with many of the country's 17, islands forged out of the tectonic and volcanic forces pushing up land, frequently resulting in eruptions or magma and ash.

There are huge swathes of Indonesia where there is always a volcano nearby or on the horizon, and the area is famed for the size of earlier volcanic blasts, with Krakatoa among recent historical incidences. An example of earthquakes occurring close to a volcano happened in August when a series of quakes rocked the island of Lombok, which owes its existence to Mt Rinjani and its ancient predecessors. Its place at the conjunction of four plates, plus tendency for people to live in low-lying areas close to the coast, makes Indonesia's islands particularly at risk from tsunamis.

The recent quake in Sulawesi caused huge damage because the quake hit close to a high population centre in Palu, and the town was then struck again by a wall of water funnelled down a bay to the sea-level town. CNN With Indonesia, the question is not whether an earthquake will occur but when. More Videos What is the Ring of Fire? The Southeast Asian archipelago nation is reeling after yet another powerful earthquake struck Friday, followed by a tsunami, leaving hundreds of people dead and hundreds injured.