A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has killed at least 20 people after it struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores Island, causing widespread damage, Al Jazzera reports.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck early on Saturday at 5:58am 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. USGS put the depth at 10km (6.2 miles).
Three aftershocks followed within half an hour, measuring magnitudes 5.9, 5.6 and 6.1.
Rescuers around the port town of Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province found 20 dead, six injured and two trapped under the rubble, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency.
Teams have yet to reach the province’s Nagekeo regency, which is closest to the epicentre, and communications signals there had been affected, Fathur told Reuters news agency.
Officials fear the death toll will climb further as emergency teams continue working.
East Nusa Tenggara police chief Rudi Darmoko said the earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings. Outages in cities and villages have hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts, he added.
The national disaster mitigation agency BNPB said about 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, and damage was reported to a number of houses, warehouses and government facilities
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. The warning has since been lifted.
