A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores region early Saturday, leading authorities to issue a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at around 3:28 am IST. The epicentre was located off the north coast of the island, about 68 kilometres (42 miles) northwest of Ende, USGS said. The quake was relatively shallow, occurring at a depth of about 10 kilometres.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.9. It later revised the strength of the quake to 7.6.
The earthquake occurred in the sea near Flores. Early reports suggested that some buildings on the island may have been damaged following the strong tremors.
The initial jolt was followed by strong aftershocks in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
Videos and pictures shared online appeared to show damage to buildings and other structures. Some local reports also claimed that several buildings had collapsed or been badly damaged. However, these reports had not been independently verified at the time.
Indonesia’s meteorological agency, BMKG, continued its tsunami warning for East Nusa Tenggara after the earthquake. The agency said the earthquake’s epicentre was around 38 kilometres northeast of Mbay.
BMKG also confirmed that the earthquake was shallow, with its focus located around 10 kilometres below the surface. Authorities continued to monitor the situation and assess the possible impact of the earthquake and any tsunami threat in the affected areas.
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