Full story
Flores quake tolls rise
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early on Saturday, killing at least 47 people and toppling buildings, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest statement on Saturday afternoon.
“killing at least 47 people and toppling buildings”
The epicenter of the quake hit off the coast of the island of Flores at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said, and Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency recorded the first quake at 4:58 am.
The BBC said the quake struck the island of Flores shortly before 05:00 local time on Saturday, with a depth of 15km, and reported that strong aftershocks were felt in the same eastern area including one of magnitude 6.1.
The Washington Post and NBC News both put the death toll at least 47, while NBC News said the epicenter was 42 miles north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province and that rescue teams had yet to reach Nagekeo after landslides blocked roads and disrupted communications.
Tsunami warning lifted
Indonesia’s authorities issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, urging residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks, and the warning was later lifted about three hours after the quake.
DW reported that tsunami waves of less than 1 meter were recorded in several areas before the warning was lifted, and it quoted Wijayanto, earthquake and tsunami director at BMKG, saying, "We have ended (the tsunami warning) but we will keep monitoring the sea level."
The BBC said the tsunami warning was lifted around three hours after the initial jolt, when no significant sea level rise was detected, and it reported that BNPB said 2,000 people had evacuated or relocated on their own.
NBC News said Australia’s tsunami warning center told residents there would be "no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories," while also describing how landslides blocked roads and disrupted communications as teams tried to reach Nagekeo.
Damage, access, and aftershocks
Rescue and damage assessments were complicated by power outages and communication disruptions, with DW citing East Nusa Tenggara police chief Rudi Darmoko saying, "We are continuing to collect reports of damages and casualties, but there are communication disruptions."
“"We are continuing to collect reports of damages and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,"”
NBC News reported preliminary damage across Flores, including 157 homes heavily damaged, 41 moderately damaged and 148 lightly damaged, and it said damage was also reported at 87 schools, 18 health facilities, five places of worship and six office buildings.
The Guardian said rescuers had yet to reach Nagekeo because roads were blocked by landslides and communications disrupted, and it reported that there were at least 235 aftershocks including one of magnitude 6.1.
BBC described how the quake struck at a depth of 15km and said later on Saturday a magnitude 6.4 earthquake was felt in North Sumatra at a depth of 163km, while also quoting governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena that people were killed in their sleep by collapsing rubble.
