A 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the epicenter of the earthquake was located off the northern coast of the island, about 68 kilometers north-west of Ende. There were five confirmed victims and several collapses were also recorded among buildings in the affected areas.
Tsunami warning lifted
The initial quake, which occurred at 5.58am local time, was followed by at least three strong aftershocks in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1. The Indonesian Agency of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) had warned of the possibility that the earthquake could generate a tsunami with waves of between 0.5 and 3 metres, but the alarm was later revoked.
However, in several areas the waves reached a height of one metre. “We have lifted the tsunami warning, but we will continue to monitor sea levels,” Wijayato, director of the Earthquake and Tsunami Department of the National Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said during a news conference.
The balance sheet and testimonies
The governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, said at a news conference that five people had died when rubble collapsed while they slept. A video on Facebook, verified by Reuters as being filmed in the port of Maumere, shows parts of a building collapsed into dust and rubble as people scream and run into the street. Maumere is the main city of Sikka Regency, on the island of Flores, in the eastern part of the vast Indonesian archipelago.
Residents of Nagekeo Regency, the area closest to the epicenter, rushed to higher ground immediately after the earthquake. “Suddenly he started shaking and I panicked,” Lukas Lotar, a 31-year-old customer service worker at the hospital, told AFP. “Even the patients – he added – fled the hospital, the shock was strong. I saw that some walls were cracked”.
“People were panicking, running here and there,” said Yohanes Babo, 56, a Nagekeo resident who was caught by the quake while he was at the market. “We’re trying to get to the hills,” he said, adding: “My family is safe. No one was hurt.” Indonesia and neighboring countries are prone to frequent earthquakes due to their location in the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire.