At least five people were killed after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, triggering several aftershocks and a now-withdrawn tsunami warning, according to Indonesia's geophysics agency, BMKG, and an emergency response official. Tsunami waves of less than 1 metre (3 feet) were also recorded in several areas.
The first quake was recorded at 4.58 am (2158 GMT) at a depth of 15 km, BMKG, said. Several aftershocks were reported following the main earthquake.
BMKG issued an early tsunami warning for some regions of the country following the strong tremors. The alert was, however, withdrawn hours later.
Authorities were monitoring the situation and assessing the potential impact of the quake and subsequent aftershocks in affected areas. The tremors were felt strongly for around a minute in regions such as Nagekeo and Bima, said Dodi Yuleova, the spokesperson for the national disaster mitigation agency.
Several videos and photos of the trail of destruction left behind by the earthquake have surfaced.
Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet, creating a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
A video on Facebook, verified by news agency Reuters as located at a port in Maumere, the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island in eastern Indonesia, showed parts of a building collapsing in dust and rubble as people screamed and ran in the street.
Patients were moved out of a hospital in the district of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara Province, footage broadcast by Kompas TV showed.
Meanwhile, Australia’s tsunami warning centre said the earthquake posed "no tsunami threat" to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.
Source: India Today
