A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake rattled Indonesia’s Flores Island, killing five people and leaving several missing, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at around 5.58 am local time (21.58 GMT Friday), with an epicentre about 68 kilometres (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.
The USGS said the depth of the earthquake was measured at around 10 km (6.2 miles). Three more aftershocks followed within 30 minutes, measuring magnitudes of 5.9, 5.6 and 6.1.
In a statement, Indonesian authorities said that two people were found dead at Maumere port and another person was injured. There are chances the casualty figure may increase in the coming hours as the rescue agency has been deployed to the affected region.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning for affected coastlines, urging residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks and move to higher ground.
Abdul Muhari, a BNPB official, 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.”
Local authorities said they were continuing to monitor the situation and assess the risk of further aftershocks in the hours ahead.
Indonesia, a nation of more than 270 million people spread across roughly 17,000 islands, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is one of the world’s most seismically active countries.
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