Devastating tremor prompts widespread evacuations across Indonesia

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck the eastern Indonesian island of Flores early on Saturday, prompting thousands to flee in panic as authorities issued a tsunami warning.

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The warning was triggered after the sea retreated in the area closest to the epicentre, located in Nagekeo regency, with residents rushing to higher ground, as observed by AFP journalists.

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The tsunami warning was later lifted, but not before causing widespread panic, with the epicentre of the shallow quake located about 68 kilometres northwest of the coastal town of Ende, according to United States and Indonesian authorities.

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The quake's initial jolt was followed by strong aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.1, in the same area, causing significant concern among local residents.

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Lukas Lotar, a 31-year-old hospital customer service official from Maumere, described the moment the earthquake struck, saying "Suddenly it started to shake, and I panicked", and adding that patients also fled the hospital due to the intense jolt.

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Lukas Lotar further recounted the destruction caused by the quake, stating "I saw some walls were cracked", highlighting the severity of the earthquake's impact.

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Yohanes Babo, a 56-year-old resident of Nagekeo, was at a market when the earthquake hit, describing the shaking as strong and stating that people were panicking and running in all directions.

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Yohanes Babo also mentioned that he and his family were evacuating to higher ground, saying "We're evacuating for the time being… and trying to get to the hills", and thankfully, his family was safe and unharmed.

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Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency urged residents to evacuate immediately, warning of the possibility of tsunami waves following the quake, with Abdul Muhari, an official at the national disaster agency, strongly advising communities to move to higher ground.

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Abdul Muhari specified that residents should move at least two kilometres inland or to hilly areas more than 10 meters high to ensure their safety, as advised on local broadcaster Kompas TV.

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BMKG earthquake and tsunami director Wijayanto stated that tsunami modelling suggested a potential tsunami in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara, with an alert issued for waves ranging from 0.5 metres to three metres.

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Although the alert was later lifted, Wijayanto assured that monitoring of the sea level would continue, saying "We have ended (the tsunami warning) but we will keep monitoring the sea level".

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Residents in the town of Maumere on Flores Island were seen evacuating to higher ground, while images on Indonesian television showed hundreds of people in nearby Nagekeo regency evacuating from among the rubble of damaged buildings.

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Despite the lack of reported casualties, authorities detected tsunami waves between 19 and 30 centimetres, highlighting the potential danger posed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami warning.

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Indonesia and its neighbouring countries are prone to frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

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Indonesia has experienced several deadly earthquakes in the past, including a devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor in 2004 that struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami, resulting in the loss of 220,000 lives throughout the region.

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The 2004 Boxing Day tragedy was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, with around 170,000 lives lost in Indonesia alone.

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In 2018, a powerful quake hit the island of Lombok, followed by several more tremors over the next couple of weeks, resulting in the loss of over 550 lives on the holiday island and neighbouring Sumbawa.

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Later in 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island claimed the lives of more than 4,300 people, leaving many more missing.