A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least two people and sending thousands fleeing to higher ground after authorities issued a tsunami warning.
The victims, a man and a woman, were confirmed by disaster agency spokesman Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan.
“At this point there are two reported fatalities,” Panjaitan told reporters in Jakarta.
“Once the data are confirmed, we will officially announce the final number of casualties and the extent of damage to buildings caused by the earthquake,” he said.
The shallow quake struck off the north coast of Flores Island at 4:58 a.m. local time, about 68 kilometres (42 miles) northwest of the coastal town of Ende, according to Indonesia’s geophysics agency BMKG and US authorities.
It struck at a depth of about 15 kilometres (9 miles) and was followed by several aftershocks, including one measuring 6.1.
Residents in Nagekeo regency, the area closest to the epicentre, rushed towards higher ground after the sea appeared to retreat, a possible sign of an approaching tsunami. The warning was later lifted, while tsunami waves of less than one metre (3 feet) were recorded in several areas.
“The shaking was strong. Thankfully, we were already outside the house,” said 56-year-old Nagekeo resident Yohanes Babo.
“People were panicking, running here and there. We’re evacuating for the time being… and trying to get to the hills,” Babo said, adding: “My family is safe. No one was harmed.”
The earthquake was felt strongly for around a minute in areas including Nagekeo and Bima, said Dodi Yuleova, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency.
In Maumere, a town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island, residents fled into the streets as buildings shook.
“Suddenly it started to shake, and I panicked,” said Lukas Lotar, a 31-year-old hospital customer service official in Maumere.
“Patients also fled the hospital; the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked,” he said.
A hospital in Ende district moved patients outside following the quake, footage broadcast by Kompas TV showed.
Video verified by Reuters and filmed at a port in Maumere showed part of a building collapsing in dust and rubble as people screamed and ran through the streets.
The Australian tsunami warning centre said the undersea earthquake posed no tsunami threat to mainland Australia, its islands or territories.
Authorities continued to assess casualties and damage in affected areas as residents remained alert following the strong aftershocks.
