A 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning, leaving at least twenty people dead, destroying buildings, and forcing thousands of residents to flee to higher ground.
The shallow quake hit at 4:58 am local time at a depth of 15 kilometers off the north coast of Flores Island. Indonesian geophysics agency BMKG [Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika] and United States (US) authorities have said that the epicenter is approximately 68 kilometers northwest of Ende.
Provincial Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena stated during a press conference that five individuals died when falling rubble crushed them while they slept. The national disaster mitigation agency BNPB [Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana], which translates to the National Disaster Management Agency initially reported one dead and four injured.
Authorities issued an immediate tsunami warning after the initial jolt. The agency lifted the threat later after monitoring confirmed no dangerous sea-level changes, though sensors recorded tsunami waves measuring under one meter in several areas. Dozens of aftershocks followed the main quake, including a 6.1-magnitude event.
Footage from a port in Maumere verified by an international media outlet shows a building collapsing into dust and debris as residents run screaming onto the street.
Residents across Flores Island reported structural destruction and panic. In Nagekeo regency, the closest populated area to the epicenter, crowds evacuated toward nearby hills.
Television broadcasts showed hundreds of evacuees navigating rubble in affected districts. Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of fault lines and volcanoes that subjects the nation of 17,000 islands to frequent seismic activity.
