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Quake off Flores
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores region early Saturday, with the U.S. Geological Survey saying it hit at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. Saturday Indonesia time.
“magnitude 7.7 quake has struck off the coast of Indonesia”
The quake’s epicenter was about 68 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Ende, and ABC News reported the USGS location as part of its initial assessment.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics agency warned of the possibility of tsunami waves, while the Al-Jazeera Net report said the American observatory identified the epicenter off the northern coast of the island, about 68 kilometers northwest of Ende regency, at a depth of only 10 kilometers.
Al Jazeera Net also reported that the earthquake was followed by two aftershocks in the same region, and it said the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics warned of the possibility of tsunami waves.
In the immediate aftermath, Al Jazeera Net said Indonesian authorities canceled the tsunami warning after the quake, while Wijayanto, director of the Seismology and Tsunami Department at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, confirmed that sea level monitoring would continue after readings showed waves less than one meter high in several coastal areas.
Deaths, collapses, monitoring
Casualty figures varied across outlets as search and rescue continued, with Al-Jazeera Net reporting that the AFP tally put the death toll at 20 people killed and the Associated Press reporting at least five deaths in an initial tally.
Al-Sharq al-Awsaṭ reported that "20 people were killed and six injured, with two people still trapped under the rubble," citing relief official Fathurrahman, head of search-and-rescue operations in Mombaery? city.
Al-Jazeera Net said Zeinab Jassem reported dozens of buildings collapsed due to the earthquake, as search and rescue operations continued in the affected areas.
The same Al-Jazeera Net report said residents felt the shaking strongly for about a minute in areas such as Nagiku and Pima, causing successive aftershocks.
It also quoted a National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson urging coastal evacuations, saying, "We strongly urge our coastal communities along Flores Island’s northern coast" to self-evacuate immediately.
Tsunami warning lifted
As the situation evolved, Al-Jazeera Net said Indonesian authorities canceled the tsunami warning after the quake, while Wijayanto confirmed sea level monitoring would continue after readings showed waves less than one meter high in several coastal areas.
“Indonesia’s authorities canceled the tsunami warning after the quake”
Al-Jazeera Net also reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers below sea level, with its epicenter about 68 kilometers northwest of the city of Indi, and it said the quake was followed by aftershocks.
DW reported that the authorities suspended the tsunami alert after the initial warning, and it quoted a disaster management agency spokesperson, Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, saying "hasta el momento se han reportado dos víctimas mortales".
DW further described evacuation guidance, saying the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks while authorities monitored coastal tide gauges for changes.
In parallel, Al-Jazeera Net said a spokeswoman for the National Disaster Management Agency told Kompas TV that residents should "move away from the shore, either inland more than two kilometers or to mountainous areas higher than 10 meters," as coastal-area evacuations continued.
