Daijiworld Media Network - Jakarta

Jakarta, Aug 15: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least two people, triggering a tsunami warning and causing a series of aftershocks, according to the country’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Residents in coastal areas of Flores island were urged to immediately evacuate and move to higher ground as authorities monitored the situation.

Visuals circulating on social media showed buildings collapsing and crumbling as people ran to safety. The authenticity of the visuals could not be independently verified. Initial reports also indicated damage to houses and public infrastructure, although officials had not immediately released details on the full extent of the damage.

Disaster agency spokesman Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan confirmed thattwo people had died as the scale of the destruction became clearer.

“Once the data are confirmed, we will officially announce the final number of casualties and the extent of damage to buildings caused by the earthquake,” he told reporters in Jakarta.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck the Flores region at a depth of about 10 kilometres at 5:58 am local time. The epicentre was located around 68 kilometres north-northwest of Ende, a city in East Nusa Tenggara province.

BMKG issued a tsunami warning covering parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi. People were advised to stay away from beaches and riverbanks.

The agency said the earthquake occurred beneath the sea near Flores island at a shallow depth, prompting authorities to closely monitor coastal tide gauges for possible changes.

Abdul Muhari, an official with Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), urged residents along vulnerable coastal areas to evacuate immediately.

“We strongly urge our communities along the northern coast of Flores and in the southern parts, on the southern islands and across the southern region, to carry out self-evacuation immediately,” he said.

Speaking to local broadcaster Kompas TV, Muhari advised residents to move at least two kilometres inland or to hilly areas more than 10 metres above sea level.

The earthquake also caused panic at St Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, locally known as Ritapiret Seminary.

Students were attending morning Mass when they fled after the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, seminary rector Rev Guidelbertus Tanga said.

“Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof,” Tanga was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the earthquake, he said.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country lies along the Pacific Basin’s “Ring of Fire”, a region characterised by numerous active volcanoes and fault lines.