The 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the western coast of Sulawesi island in Indonesia has now killed at least 42 people, destroying houses, flattening a hospital and setting off landslides, disaster officials said.

Rescuers were searching for people trapped in the rubble. More than 600 people were reported to have been injured in the quake, which struck inland between the coastal cities of Mamuju and Majene. No tsunami warning was issued.

But officials are afraid of how many more fatalities they will find as they say: “We are still evacuating and erecting shelters. Many people are buried under the ruins.”

The earthquake capped a week of several disasters for Indonesia. On Saturday, a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea with 62 people aboard. And on Sunday, at least 24 people were killed in landslides on Java island.

The area hit by the quake was about 160 miles southwest of the city of Palu, where a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck in 2018, liquefying part of the city and killing thousands.

Disaster officials said they expected the number of deaths and injuries from the earthquake to grow as they received information from areas that had been cut off.

At least one bridge was destroyed, roads were damaged and communications were limited. The provincial governor’s office in Mamuju was also damaged.

In Mamuju, Mitra Hospital collapsed in the quake. Officials said at least five nurses and patients were trapped inside. The Mamuju government hospital was also heavily damaged, officials said. It was unclear whether anyone had been killed in either hospital.

The authorities warned the public to avoid buildings because of the possibility of another strong earthquake. Thousands of people have fled their homes and taken refuge in shelters.

Six temblors of magnitude 2.9 and above were recorded in the 12 hours before the major quake struck. Nine aftershocks were recorded in the hours that followed.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, a line of seismic and volcanic activity that circles much of the Pacific Ocean and is highly susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis.

In 2018, an earthquake on Lombok island killed hundreds, and a quake and tsunami caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano killed hundreds more on Java and Sumatra islands.

The Biblical prophecies (Matthew 24, Luke 21) foretell that diverse earthquakes will happen as a sign of the Last Days indicating the nearing end of this age.

These events and conditions happening now are warning signs pointing to the nearing fulfillment of the Last Days prophecies at the end of this age revealing it’s time to prepare now for the nearing appearance of Jesus Christ for His Church by being born again spiritually into the Kingdom of God as Jesus said we must (John 3) and His Apostles who were authorized (Matthew 16:19) described how (Acts 2).

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