Indonesia Earthquake: 7.7-Magnitude Quake Hits Flores, Deaths Reported as Tsunami Alert Triggers Evacuations

New Delhi: A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern island of Flores early on Saturday, killing people, damaging buildings and sending residents of coastal communities towards higher ground after a tsunami warning. Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed two deaths and one injury in Sikka in its latest official update, while the governor of East Nusa Tenggara separately said five people had died, leaving the casualty picture subject to further verification.

Search-and-rescue teams were working at affected sites as authorities assessed damage across East Nusa Tenggara. BNPB said personnel from the national search-and-rescue agency Basarnas, the military and police were carrying out evacuations, while local disaster agencies continued checking reports from communities hit by the shaking.

Shallow quake triggers tsunami warning

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the earthquake struck at 4.58am Jakarta time (3.28am IST) Its updated analysis put the magnitude at 7.7, the depth at 15km and the epicentre in the sea about 30km northeast of Nagekeo. BMKG attributed the earthquake to movement along the Flores Back-Arc Thrust.

The agency issued its first tsunami warning just over two minutes after the earthquake. Coastal areas of East Nusa Tenggara and parts of neighbouring provinces were told to evacuate, move away from beaches and riverbanks.

Tsunami waves were subsequently detected at 10 monitoring points. The highest recorded level was 0.94 metres at Maurole-Ende, while other readings included 0.38 metres at Kewapante port in Sikka, 0.36 metres at Labuan Bajo and 0.54 metres at Bulukumba. BMKG lifted the warning at 7.30am Jakarta time after monitoring showed no further significant rise in sea levels.

Aftershocks continued. BMKG had recorded 37 aftershocks by 7.07am Jakarta time, ranging from magnitude 3.6 to 6.2, and urged residents to stay away from cracked or damaged buildings.

Port damaged, communities evacuated

Damage was reported across several parts of Flores. BMKG said sections of walls in houses had fallen in Maumere, West Manggarai and Labuan Bajo, while facilities at Maumere port and the Jayakarta Bajo hotel were damaged.

BNPB said two people died and another was injured in an incident at Pelabuhan El Say in Sikka, although it stressed that casualty data were still being verified. The Associated Press reported damage to the waiting area at Maumere’s port terminal and said hospitals in affected areas moved patients and equipment outdoors as a precaution.

Reuters reported that about 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, while power cuts and congestion affected parts of the regency. Strong shaking lasting about a minute was reported across East Nusa Tenggara, with tremors also felt in West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi.

Death toll remains preliminary

The differing casualty figures underline the difficulty of assessing the impact in the first hours after a major earthquake.

BNPB’s official report at 8am Jakarta time confirmed two deaths, one male and one female, and one injured person in Sikka. The agency explicitly said the figures were temporary and could change after field verification.

East Nusa Tenggara governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena later told reporters that five people had died, saying they were killed by falling rubble as they slept. AP separately cited the provincial police chief as reporting two deaths in Sikka and three in Manggarai. Neither higher figure had yet replaced BNPB’s official tally at the time of publication.

Residents flee towards the hills

The earthquake struck before dawn, when many residents were still asleep.

Arnold Welianto, a resident of Talibura village in Sikka, told the BBC that he woke suddenly and went to check on his child. “I was startled awake and immediately went to my child’s room,” he said. He described neighbours near the shoreline heading towards the hills after the shaking, while others remained outside as the sea appeared to recede.

His account reflected the uncertainty along the coast before the tsunami warning was lifted. Residents remained wary of returning to buildings as aftershocks continued.

BNPB said assessments were still under way for deaths, injuries, damaged buildings and other impacts. Rescue personnel, local disaster agencies, Basarnas, the military and police remained deployed, while BMKG continued monitoring aftershocks and sea levels and urged people to rely on official information as the situation developed.