Jakarta: At least twenty people were killed after a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island early on Saturday. Several people were injured.
The quake caused severe damage to buildings, forcing thousands to evacuate. An initial tsunami warning was triggered. It was withdrawn later.
The main tremor struck around 6 am local time, about 68 kilometres northwest of Ende in the East Nusa Tenggara province, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) cited by CNN. The earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, with strong tremors reported across parts of Flores.
The death toll was reported by CNN, citing Provincial Police Chief Rudi Darmoko’s updates to regional media. The USGS estimated that around 500,000 people were exposed to very strong or severe shaking.
Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, said around 2,000 people in Nagekeo regency evacuated as a precaution. Initial assessments indicated that about 15 buildings, including homes and government offices, were damaged, as reported by The Times of India.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake came amid a series of powerful tremors recorded in and around the Flores Sea on Saturday.
India’s National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported an earlier magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Indonesia at a depth of 49 kilometres.
A tsunami warning was also issued following the earthquake, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
The NCS subsequently recorded a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Flores Sea, between the Indonesian islands of Flores and Sulawesi. The tremor occurred at 3:43 am IST at a depth of 63 kilometres.
A third magnitude 6.0 earthquake was recorded in the Flores Sea at 3:58 am IST at a depth of 42 kilometres. This shallow earthquake caused strong shaking across Flores, with residents reporting damage to buildings and homes.
Footage from affected areas showed buildings collapsing as people rushed out of structures following the tremors. Local television footage also showed hospitals evacuating patients as a precaution.
Hospital staff moved beds, IV stands, oxygen cylinders and other medical equipment outside buildings and established temporary treatment areas to deal with the situation.
The earthquake also prompted residents in affected areas to move towards safer locations as authorities assessed the damage and continued rescue and relief operations.
Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with extensive seismic and volcanic activity. Flores has experienced devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in the past, including a 1992 earthquake that triggered a tsunami and killed around 2,500 people.
The country has experienced several devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. In December 1992, a powerful earthquake struck Flores and triggered a tsunami that killed around 2,500 people.