7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Indonesia's Flores Island, Tsunami Warning Issued

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island in eastern Indonesia early Saturday, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning and leading to the evacuation of hundreds of residents, officials said.

The shallow quake's epicentre was located approximately 68 kilometres (42 miles) northwest of Ende, on the island's northern coast, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This was followed by several strong aftershocks in the same region, including one recorded at magnitude 6.1.

Local residents described the moment the earth began to shake. Lukas Lotar, a 31-year-old hospital customer service officer, told AFP, "Suddenly it started to shake and I panicked. Patients also fled the hospital, the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked."

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia warned that the earthquake had the potential to generate a tsunami in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara. The agency's earthquake and tsunami director, Wijayanto, said that tsunami modelling results indicated such a possibility. An alert was issued for waves ranging from 0.5 metres to three metres (1.6 to 9.8 feet).

In the town of Maumere on Flores Island, roughly 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) from the epicentre, residents were seen evacuating to higher ground, an AFP correspondent reported. The correspondent noted that the sea in the area could be seen receding, a natural phenomenon often occurring before a tsunami.

Images broadcast on Indonesian television showed hundreds of people in the nearby Nagekeo regency evacuating as well, along with visual evidence of damaged buildings. As of the latest reports, authorities have not confirmed any casualties, though tsunami waves between 19 and 30 centimetres have been detected in the region.

Indonesia lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. This geological reality means the country experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Among Indonesia's most devastating seismic events was the 9.1-magnitude earthquake in 2004 off the coast of Sumatra. That quake triggered a tsunami that killed an estimated 220,000 people across several countries, including around 170,000 in Indonesia alone, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

More recently, in 2018, a powerful earthquake struck the island of Lombok, followed by several strong aftershocks over subsequent weeks, resulting in more than 550 deaths on Lombok and neighbouring Sumbawa. Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.

Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation, and further updates regarding aftershocks and tsunami conditions are expected. Residents in affected coastal areas have been advised to remain vigilant and follow guidance from local disaster management agencies.