At Least Five Killed as 7.7-Magnitude Quake Strikes Eastern Indonesia
Strong tremors and aftershocks damaged buildings and triggered evacuations across East Nusa Tenggara as a brief tsunami warning was later lifted.
EAST NUSA TENGGARA: At least five people were killed after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early Saturday, triggering dozens of aftershocks and sending residents fleeing from their homes, according to East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena.
The governor said the five victims died after falling debris struck them while they were sleeping. However, Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency BNPB reported one death and four injuries as authorities continued assessing the impact of the disaster.
The undersea tremor caused damage in several locations, including parts of Maumere, the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island. Video verified by Reuters showed a section of a building at a port collapsing into dust and rubble as people ran into the street.
Residents described the shaking as extremely powerful. Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura village, said 13 members of her family were inside their house when the tremor struck and everyone rushed outside for safety.
Strong tremors felt across provinces
BNPB said the earthquake was strongly felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi. In several areas, residents said the ground shook for around a minute.
“Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes,” BNPB said.
Authorities evacuated patients from a hospital in Ende district as a precaution, while reports also emerged of a landslide in the region. Around 2,000 residents in Nagekeo were evacuated following the earthquake.
Houses, warehouses and government facilities were reported to have suffered damage. Some areas also experienced power outages and traffic disruptions.
Indonesia’s geophysics agency BMKG said the initial earthquake occurred at 4:58 a.m. local time at a depth of 15 kilometres. Several aftershocks were recorded afterward, keeping residents and emergency teams on alert.
Tsunami warning withdrawn
The powerful undersea earthquake also generated tsunami waves of less than one metre in several Indonesian locations. Authorities issued a tsunami warning but lifted it roughly three hours after the main tremor.
Australia’s tsunami warning centre said there was no tsunami threat to Australia’s mainland, islands or territories from the earthquake.
Indonesia is highly vulnerable to seismic activity because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where several tectonic plates meet and where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
Emergency teams continued to assess damage and assist evacuated residents as authorities worked to determine the full extent of the casualties and destruction.
