Indonesia Earthquake: Dozens Killed After 7.7-Magnitude Quake Strikes
At least 47 people are dead from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and dozens of aftershocks that hit off eastern Indonesia on Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a latest statement.
The early-morning quake set off tsunami waves of less than 1 meter (3 feet) in several parts of the Southeast Asian country. The tsunami warning was canceled about three hours later.
Earlier, rescuers found 20 dead, six injured and two people trapped under rubble in the port town of Maumere, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency.
Maumere is the main town of Sikka Regency on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia.
Around 2,000 people in Nagekeo were evacuated and there were reports of damage to homes, warehouses and government buildings, the BNPB said. Power outages and traffic congestion were also reported in parts of the regency, authorities said.
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East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said at a press conference that at least five people died when buildings collapsed on them as they slept.
Preliminary data from BNPB showed 157 homes were heavily damaged, 41 moderately damaged and 148 lightly damaged. Damage was also reported in 87 schools, 18 health facilities, five places of worship, six office buildings and other infrastructure.
The first quake was registered at 4.58 a.m. (2158 GMT), at a depth of 15 km (9 miles) by Indonesian geophysics agency BMKG, which also recorded several aftershocks.
The BMKG said a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the same area in 1992, causing widespread damage.
Indonesia lies on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an active seismic belt where tectonic plates collide leading to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami struck the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, killing more than 4,000 people.
