A strong magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, causing damage to buildings and homes and prompting a tsunami alert. Authorities advised individuals in the affected coastal areas to relocate to higher ground.
The U.S Geological Survey reported that the earthquake struck the Flores region of Indonesia at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende city in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Following the initial earthquake, several aftershocks were felt, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Indonesia’s 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 living along the affected coastlines were instructed to move to higher ground as authorities monitored coastal tide gauges for any alterations.
The earthquake was felt across much of Flores island, with initial assessments showing damage to homes and public structures. Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara province, reported that several buildings were harmed by the intense shaking, leading to a rush of people to higher ground.
Students at St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka were attending morning Mass when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, causing panic. Reverend Guidelbertus Tanga, the seminary’s rector, known locally as Ritapiret Seminary on Flores island, recounted that students and nuns fled in fear as the roof collapsed, resulting in one priest sustaining a broken leg while leaping from a building’s second floor during the quake.
Indonesia, comprising over 17,000 islands, is susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the “Ring of Fire,” a region with numerous volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In December 1992, a magnitude 7 earthquake triggered a tsunami that claimed approximately 2,500 lives on the southeastern island of Flores, part of the eastern Indonesian island group.