A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island early Saturday, killing at least 38 people, damaging or destroying buildings and triggering panic among residents in the quake-prone region.
More than a dozen people were injured in the earthquake, which prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning before it was lifted after monitoring showed no significant changes in sea levels that threatened coastal communities.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was about 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Several aftershocks followed the main tremor.
National Disaster Management Agency chief Suharyanto said rescuers had recovered at least 38 bodies, mostly from the Sikka, Manggarai and East Manggarai regencies. Sixteen of the bodies were recovered from a landslide in Reok village in Manggarai.
At least 13 injured people were taken to nearby hospitals, including two in serious condition.
Three helicopters and a rescue vessel were deployed to help deliver supplies and support emergency operations, including possible evacuations. Authorities said the region’s numerous islands and difficult terrain were complicating access to affected areas.
Around 2,000 residents of Nagekeo regency fled their homes and moved to temporary shelters, officials said.
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said the earthquake caused widespread damage and brought down buildings. Power outages in several cities and villages also disrupted communications and made rescue operations more difficult.
Landslides triggered by the earthquake in Ende regency blocked sections of the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometer road connecting Labuan Bajo and Larantuka.
Local television footage showed patients being evacuated from several hospitals as a precaution. Medical workers moved beds, oxygen cylinders and other equipment outside and established temporary treatment areas.
The earthquake was strongly felt across much of Flores, with reports of damage from several areas.
Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka regency, said people ran toward higher ground after the strong shaking. She said several buildings were damaged, including the waiting area of the port terminal in Maumere, which collapsed.
At St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, students attending morning Mass fled after part of an assembly hall collapsed, according to seminary rector Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga. He said one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor.
The tremor also caused panic in Labuan Bajo, a major gateway to Komodo National Park. Damage was reported in Bima in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province and in parts of southern Sulawesi.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi and advised residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. The warning was later withdrawn after no dangerous sea-level changes were detected.
Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area marked by numerous tectonic faults and volcanoes.
The country has experienced several devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. A 1992 earthquake and tsunami killed about 2,500 people on Flores.
In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake triggered a tsunami and widespread liquefaction in and around Palu, killing more than 4,400 people. In 2010, an offshore earthquake generated a 3-meter wave that struck the Mentawai Islands, killing more than 400 people.
In December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami that killed about 230,000 people across a dozen countries.