People examine the damage to a house following an earthquake in East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Aug. 15. AP-Yonhap
MAUMERE, Indonesia — A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least five people and causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes.
Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threat to coastal communities.
The U.S Geological Survey said the quake hit Indonesia's Flores region with a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was 68 km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.
East Nusa Tenggara police chief Rudi Darmoko said preliminary reports indicate two fatalities in Sikka Regency and three in Manggarai Regency as the earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings. He said power outages in cities and villages have hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts.
