At least 20 people have been killed and six injured after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island, triggering evacuations and leaving several people trapped beneath rubble, officials said.
Rescue official Fathur Rahman said the deaths had been reported in four towns on the popular tourist island. Two people were also believed to be trapped under debris in neighbouring Manggarai regency.
“From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried,” Mr Fathur said while travelling by boat to Nagekeo regency, the worst-affected area.
Rescue teams were focusing on locating people trapped under collapsed structures, but their efforts were being hampered by landslides that had blocked several roads.
Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, moved to higher ground after the sea level reportedly receded, raising concerns about a possible tsunami.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) later lifted the tsunami warning but advised residents to stay away from damaged buildings because aftershocks could cause further collapses.
Dozens of aftershocks were reported, with the strongest measuring 6.1 magnitude.
### Residents flee to safety
Yohanes Babo, a 56-year-old Nagekeo resident, said he was at a market when the earthquake struck early in the morning.
He said the shaking was strong and people panicked and rushed towards higher ground. His family was safe and no one was injured, he added.
The shallow earthquake’s epicentre was located off the island’s northern coast, around 68 kilometres northwest of the coastal town of Ende, according to US and Indonesian authorities.
Rescuers recovered at least one body from the rubble of a partially collapsed building at the port of Maumere. Mr Fathur said two people were rescued alive from the debris while another was found dead.
Authorities were still assessing the full extent of the damage.
Lukas Lotar, a resident of Maumere, said the ground suddenly began shaking, causing panic. He said patients fled a hospital and some walls were cracked.
The affected region consists mainly of towns and villages with few high-rise structures.
### Tsunami warning lifted
BMKG initially issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake and urged residents to move to higher ground. Large numbers of people were seen leaving affected areas on foot, motorcycles, cars and pickup trucks.
“We have ended (the tsunami warning) but we will keep monitoring the sea level,” BMKG earthquake and tsunami director Wijayanto said.
Indonesia and neighbouring countries frequently experience earthquakes because they lie along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a zone of intense seismic activity extending from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific.
Flores was previously hit by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in 1992, which triggered a tsunami and killed around 2,500 people.
Indonesia was also among the countries worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The 9.1-magnitude quake off Sumatra triggered tsunami waves that killed around 220,000 people across the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.
In 2018, earthquakes on Lombok and nearby Sumbawa killed more than 550 people. Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Palu on Sulawesi island, leaving more than 4,300 people dead or missing.
