A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s coast early Saturday, killing at least 38 people, destroying homes and buildings, and sparking panic in a region frequently hit by deadly earthquakes.
Authorities said six people were injured and two others were missing after a landslide triggered by the quake.
A tsunami warning was issued shortly after the earthquake, prompting authorities to urge coastal residents to move to higher ground. The warning was later lifted after Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant changes in sea levels that could threaten coastal communities.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck the Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) at 5:58 a.m. local time. The epicenter was 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Several aftershocks followed the initial quake.
Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency, said rescuers had recovered at least 38 bodies from the three hardest-hit regencies of Sikka, West Manggarai and East Manggarai.
