At least 47 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, triggering small tsunami waves and dozens of aftershocks, officials say.
The quake hit at 04:58 local time (20:58 on Friday GMT) at a depth of 15km, according to Indonesia's geophysics agency BMKG. Tsunami waves under a metre high were recorded in several coastal areas, though the warning was lifted roughly three hours later.
The worst-hit areas are across Flores Island, where the death toll has risen to at least 47, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. In Maumere, the main town in Sikka Regency, rescuers earlier reported 20 deaths as emergency teams continued searching damaged buildings for survivors.
Rescue teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicentre, after landslides blocked roads and communications were disrupted. One team was attempting to reach the area by ferry instead. Around 2,000 residents there have been evacuated, with houses, warehouses and government buildings damaged, alongside power cuts and traffic congestion, according to national disaster agency BNPB.
Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, said at least five people died when rubble collapsed on them as they slept.
Footage verified by Reuters showed part of a building collapsing at a port in Maumere as people screamed and fled. One resident, 51-year-old Nona from the village of Talibura, described the "massive" shock, saying she and 12 family members ran from their home to escape.
BNPB said strong shaking lasting around a minute was felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi, with residents fleeing their homes. A hospital in Ende was evacuating patients, and at least one landslide was reported nearby.
BMKG noted the region was struck by a similarly powerful magnitude-7.5 quake in 1992, which caused significant destruction. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity where tectonic plates meet.
Democrats' sweeping victory in the U.S. midterm elections has sent technology stocks plunging, as investors fear tougher AI regulations could s...
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to fight attempts to impeach him, dismissing the growing campaign against him as politically motivate...
Russia and Iran have signed new documents to allow engineering surveys along the full route of the Rasht-Astara railway, a long-delayed link betwee...
Romanian authorities said late on Thursday that two additional planes had received bomb threats including a KLM flight to Tel Aviv that had a layover in Bucharest.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has blamed the war with Iran for the Republicans' defeat in the 2026 midterm elections, arguing that voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 turned to the Democrats because of foreign policy and economic concerns.
The war between Russia and Ukraine continued to claim civilian lives this week even as diplomatic activity intensified ahead of planned peace discussions in Abu Dhabi.
As oil prices surge amid conflict in the Gulf, energy leaders at ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi are confronting two major challenges: securing global supplies and meeting soaring electricity demand from artificial intelligence.
A British healthcare worker who contracted Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being transferred to the United Kingdom for specialist medical care, according to British authorities.
Democrats' sweeping victory in the U.S. midterm elections has sent technology stocks plunging, as investors fear tougher AI regulations could slow infrastructure development and threaten the boom that has driven market gains this year.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to fight attempts to impeach him, dismissing the growing campaign against him as politically motivated amid mounting criticism of his handling of the war in Iran.
Russia and Iran have signed new documents to allow engineering surveys along the full route of the Rasht-Astara railway, a long-delayed link between the two countries’ rail networks.
Romanian authorities said late on Thursday that two additional planes had received bomb threats including a KLM flight to Tel Aviv that had a layover in Bucharest.
China has said it looks forward to a deeper and more practical relationship with North Korea, in the latest sign of warming ties between the two neighbours.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment