A strong magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the Indonesian coast early Saturday, causing damage to buildings and homes and prompting a tsunami alert. Authorities advised residents along the affected coastlines to move to higher ground.
The U.S Geological Survey reported that the earthquake occurred in Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometers around 5:58 a.m. local time. The epicenter was located 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende city in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Following the main quake, several aftershocks were felt, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The Indonesia Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, advising residents to steer clear of beaches and riverbanks.
The agency pinpointed the shallow undersea quake near Flores island. Residents were urged to relocate to higher ground, as officials monitored coastal tide gauges for any unusual activity.
The earthquake’s impact extended across much of Flores island, with initial assessments indicating damage to residential and public structures. While specific figures on the extent of the destruction and potential casualties were not yet available, Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, mentioned that numerous buildings were harmed by the intense tremors, causing people to flee to safer areas.
At St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, where students were attending morning Mass, panic ensued when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed. The Reverend Guidelbertus Tanga, the seminary’s rector, reported that students and nuns rushed out as the roof crumbled, with one priest sustaining a broken leg while trying to escape the building during the quake.
Indonesia, with its vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands, is susceptible to seismic activity and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the “Ring of Fire,” a region characterized by numerous volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
Historically, Indonesia has faced natural disasters, such as a devastating tsunami in December 1992 triggered by a magnitude 7 earthquake that claimed approximately 2,500 lives on the southeastern side of Flores island, which is part of the eastern Indonesian islands group.
