A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores island early on Saturday, killing at least 38 people and triggering a tsunami warning, authorities said.
The quake hit the Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometres at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its epicentre 68 kilometres north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Three aftershocks of magnitude 5.9, 5.6, and 6.1 followed.
Rescuers Reach Hardest-Hit Areas
As of 3:00 p.m. local time, the National Disaster Management Agency recorded 38 fatalities, two people seriously injured, and 11 with minor injuries, agency head Suharyanto told a televised press conference. In the port town of Maumere on Flores Island, rescuers found 20 dead, six injured, and two trapped under rubble.
Landslides triggered by the earthquake cut off the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometre paved mountain road spanning the island. Power outages across cities and villages have hampered information flow and complicated search and rescue efforts.
Tsunami Warning Issued and Later Lifted
Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, urging residents to stay away from beaches. The shallow undersea quake near Flores island prompted the alert before it was later lifted.
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said the earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings across the region. Roughly 2,000 villagers in Nagekeo regency fled their homes to temporary shelters.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In 1992, the same Flores area was struck by a magnitude 7.5 quake that caused extensive destruction.
Sources: Reuters; AP; US Geological Survey; Al Jazeera
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