At least 20 people died,and six others were injured in Indonesia's port town of Maumere, after it was struck by a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake off its coast in the early hours of Saturday, damaging homes and buildings and triggering a tsunami warning.
Rescuers believed that at least two people were still trapped under the rubble, Reuters reported.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometres at 5:58 a.m. local time. The epicentre was located 68 kilometres (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, the news agency AP reported.
Meanwhile, authorities urged people in affected coastal areas to move to higher ground. The initial earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, with tremors felt across much of Flores Island. Initial reports indicated damage to homes and public facilities, though officials have not yet released estimates of the extent of the damage.
Local television footage showed patients being moved out of several hospitals as a precaution after the earthquake. Medical staff also shifted essential equipment, including beds, IV stands, and oxygen cylinders, outside the buildings and established temporary treatment areas to manage the emergency situation.
Following the earthquake, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces. The agency urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks and move to higher ground.
In a statement, the country's national disaster agency, BNPB, said, "We strongly urge our communities along the northern coast of Flores and in the southern parts, on the southern islands and across the southern region, to carry out self-evacuation immediately." Abdul Muhari, an official at the national disaster agency, also added that residents should "move away from the shore, either by going more than two kilometres inland or by moving up into hilly areas more than 10 meters high."
It said the shallow earthquake occurred beneath the sea near Flores Island, while authorities monitored coastal tide gauges for any unusual changes.
However, the warning was lifted later after the agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that could pose a threat to coastal communities.
Speaking to AFP, Lukas Lotar, a Maumere resident, noted, "Suddenly it started to shake, and I panicked," and added, "Patients also fled the hospital; the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked."
Another local, 56-year-old Nagekeo resident Yohanes Babo, was at a market when the earthquake struck. Recalling the quake, he said, “The shaking was strong. Thankfully, we were already outside the house.” He added, “People were panicking, running here and there. We're evacuating for the time being... and trying to get to the hills.” Babo further said, “My family is safe. No one was harmed.”
(with agency inputs)
