A moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 earthquake struck Majene Regency in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 15 January 2021, at 02:28 WITA (18:28 UTC).

[1][2] Shaking from the mainshock was assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong) in Majene and Mamuju.

[5][6][7][8][9] Sulawesi lies within the complex zone of interaction between the Australian, Pacific, Philippine and Sunda plates in which many small microplates have developed.

[10] The main active structure onshore in the western part of Central Sulawesi is the left-lateral NNW–SSE Palu-Koro strike-slip fault that forms the boundary between the North Sula and Makassar blocks and was responsible for the destructive Palu earthquake in 2018.

The northern part of the Makassar Strait is interpreted as a foreland basin, with its subsidence caused by the loading of this active thrust belt.

[14] The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 18 km (11 mi) with its epicenter located in Majene Regency, West Sulawesi.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that VI (Strong) on the Mercalli intensity scale was felt in Majene for 5–7 seconds.

[17][18] During the earthquake rupture process, it caused a maximum coseismic slip of 0.6 meters at 5 km depth along the fault.

[18] Approximately 12 hours, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck immediately northwest of the mainshock, triggering multiple landslides and destroying two houses in Majene.

[27] The government of West Sulawesi later advised coastal residents to evacuate to higher grounds due to threats of the tsunami.

[43] The number of damaged schools later rose to 103 as more reports came from Mamuju, Majene, Mamasa and even in Polewali Mandar.

[49] An official from West Sulawesi's Regional Government stated that at least half of all structures in Mamuju had been destroyed.

The assessment stated that more than 7,000 homes, 21 health facilities, and numerous structures including a supermarket, a harbour, and public offices were damaged or destroyed.

[58][59] On 19 January 2021, additional bodies were recovered from collapsed houses and buildings; others died of their wounds in hospital, bringing the death toll to 90.

She later ordered local members of Tagana Siaga Bencana and Layanan Dukungan Psikososial (LDP) to the affected areas.

[71] The Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that funds collected from zakat and sadaqah will be distributed to residents who were affected.

[74] The Indonesian Air Force announced that it will send a Boeing 737 to Majene to assist with the search and rescue operation.

Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency stated that several ships had been deployed to Mamuju and Majene.

[79] Doni Monardo stated that BNPB will send aid worth Rp 4 billion rupiah to the evacuees.

[84] Ministry of Social Affairs later set up another evacuation camp in Mamuju's Manakarra Stadium for the groups with the highest risk of death from contracting COVID-19.

[87] The governor of South Sulawesi province, Nurdin Abdullah, will visit Majene to observe the damage in the area and to assist with the search and rescue operation.

[96] The Regional Police of South Sulawesi also sent personnel, water treatment equipment, and other kinds of aid to Mamuju and Majene to assist the relief effort.

[86] The West Sulawesi Regional Disaster Agency stated that the search and rescue effort in Mamuju was overwhelmed due to a lack of personnel.

Search and rescue personnel initially had been dispatched to the nearby Polewali Mandar Regency as a flash flood had just struck the area.

[98] The National Democratic (Nasdem) Party of Central Sulawesi sent logistics from Palu, including 1,500 face masks and 15 units of tents.

PLN stated that additional personnel will be called from neighboring cities including Parepare, Palopo, Palu, and Pinrang Regency.

[106] The Indonesian state-owned petrol company Pertamina ensured that the fuel and gas supplies in Mamuju and Majene were enough.

[109] The Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini later clarified that reports of multiple lootings were declared as disinformation.

[110] Contrary to Rismaharini, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) confirmed that there were lootings in several areas in West Sulawesi.

[111] The Regional Police of West Sulawesi later announced that it will deploy personnel to secure routes from looters and also ensure that aid will be distributed directly to the evacuees.