A magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck off Indonesia’s Flores Island, leaving at least five people dead. A tsunami warning issued after the tremor was lifted roughly three hours later.
The quake hit on Saturday at 5:58 a.m. local time, which was 11:58 p.m. Friday in Poland, at a shallow depth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was located 68 kilometres northwest of Ende, a town in the province of East Nusa Tenggara.
The governor of East Nusa Tenggara said five people had died. The national disaster management agency, however, has so far confirmed one fatality and four injured residents. Earlier reports from authorities put the death toll at two.
Tsunami warning and evacuations
Indonesia’s geophysical agency BMKG had issued a tsunami warning for some regions of the country and urged people to avoid beaches and riverbanks. Residents of affected coastal areas were also advised to move to higher ground. Later, tsunami waves of less than a metre hit several coastal towns, while residents in the affected areas fled their homes in panic.
– We all ran out to save ourselves – one resident recounted.
– The earthquake was huge, the shock so strong, we were resting with our family at home. There were thirteen of us inside and we all ran out to save ourselves – said a resident quoted by Reuters.
Chaos and destruction
Video footage from one of the harbours showed parts of buildings collapsing into dust and rubble as people screamed and fled.
– Once all information is confirmed, we will officially announce the final number of victims and the scale of destruction caused by the earthquake – said a disaster agency spokesman earlier, when two fatalities had been reported.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and is especially prone to earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area around the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates meet. The region regularly experiences strong seismic activity and volcanic eruptions.
Source: Polsat News, Photo: Polsat News
