At least 47 people are dead after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and dozens of aftershocks struck off eastern Indonesia on Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a latest statement.
The early-morning quake triggered tsunami waves of less than 1 meter (3 feet) in several parts of the Southeast Asian country. The tsunami warning was canceled some three hours later.
Rescuers earlier 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 the Sikka Regency on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia.
The BNPB said around 2,000 people in Nagekeo were evacuated and there were reports of damage to homes, warehouses and government buildings. Authorities said power outages and traffic congestion were also reported in parts of the regency.
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East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena told a press conference that at least five people died when buildings collapsed while they slept.
Preliminary data from BNPB indicated that 157 homes were heavily damaged, 41 moderately damaged and 148 lightly damaged. Damage was also reported at 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.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the same area in 1992 that caused widespread destruction, the BMKG said.
Indonesia is situated on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an active seismic belt where tectonic plates meet, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2018 a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi killing more than 4,000 people.
