JAKARTA: At least 38 people died after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores Island early Saturday, causing widespread damage, collapsing buildings, and prompting coastal evacuations.
“Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, two were seriously injured, 11 sustained minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people have evacuated on their own,” Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto told a news conference on Saturday.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located about 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The quake occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Three significant aftershocks followed within about half an hour, measuring magnitudes 5.9, 5.6, and 6.1. Authorities warned that further aftershocks could continue as rescue teams searched affected areas.
Emergency teams had yet to reach parts of Nagekeo regency, which lies closest to the earthquake’s epicenter, as damaged infrastructure and disrupted communications slowed rescue operations.
Local authorities reported severe damage and collapsed buildings across affected areas. Power outages in cities and villages also disrupted communications and complicated search and rescue efforts. Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, said around 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated after the earthquake. The agency reported damage to houses, warehouses, and government facilities.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake and urged residents in affected coastal areas to stay away from beaches and riverbanks and move to higher ground. Authorities continued to monitor the situation and assess the risk of further aftershocks as rescue teams expanded their operations.
Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Among Indonesia’s history of deadly quakes is a devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor in 2004 that struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.
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