Magnitude 7.7 quake hits off Indonesia's Flores, tsunami warning later lifted
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Flores island early Saturday, killing at least two people, injuring others and prompting a brief tsunami warning that was subsequently cancelled.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores region at 5:58 a.m. local time on Saturday, with the US Geological Survey reporting a shallow depth of 10 km and an epicenter about 68 km north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The tremor caused buildings and homes to collapse, killing at least two residents and injuring two more, according to the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East and West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, urging people to move to higher ground. Monitoring later showed no significant sea-level rise, and the warning was lifted.
Local hospitals evacuated patients and moved equipment outdoors as a precaution, setting up temporary treatment areas. Residents reported extensive damage; one resident described collapsed structures at a port terminal, while the rector of St. Peter Major Seminary said a roof collapsed during morning Mass, injuring a priest.
The quake was felt across much of Flores island, prompting aftershocks. Indonesia, situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” has a history of deadly earthquakes and tsunamis, including the 1992 Flores tsunami and the 2004 Indian Ocean event.