WhereIsAtlas · Natural disaster

Central Sulawesi Disaster (2018)

The earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction that devastated Palu — a triple disaster

Concluded — On 28 September 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, triggering a tsunami and devastating liquefaction in the city of Palu and surrounding areas, causing massive destruction and loss of life.

On the afternoon of 28 September 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The quake triggered a tsunami that swept into the city of Palu and the nearby districts of Sigi and Donggala.

Compounding the earthquake and tsunami was a phenomenon called liquefaction, in which saturated ground behaves like a liquid during shaking. In parts of Palu, the ground subsided and slid, and entire neighborhoods were swallowed or shifted by the movement. The triple disaster — earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction — caused massive destruction and led to thousands of deaths, with the toll eventually rising to more than 4,000.

The 2018 Central Sulawesi disaster is remembered as one of the deadliest in Indonesia's modern history, and a case study in how a single earthquake can set off multiple, compounding hazards.

Quick facts

Date: September 28, 2018
Magnitude: 7.5
Location: Palu, Central Sulawesi (also Sigi, Donggala)
Killers: Earthquake + tsunami + liquefaction
Deaths: 4,000+
Hardest hit: Palu and surrounding neighborhoods
Significance: A rare triple-disaster case study

Sources

2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-04)
Central Sulawesi earthquake, tsunami, liquefaction - USGS / reporting — https://www.usgs.gov/