JAKARTA: At least three people died and 24 others sustained injuries after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said on Friday.

The epicenter of the quake was six kilometers (3.73 miles) northeast of the city of Majene, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

Several thousand panicked residents fled their homes to seek safety after the quake, which did not trigger a tsunami warning but was felt strongly for about seven seconds, the statement said.

The disaster mitigation agency said a hotel and the office of the West Sulwesi governor were severely damaged, and electricity supplies were also down.

Hours earlier, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the same district on Thursday destroying several houses.

In 2018, a devastating 6.2 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands of people. (With inputs from CNN)