Major 7.7 Quake Rattles Indonesia’s Flores, Sending Thousands to Higher Ground
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores Island early Saturday, sending thousands of people racing to higher ground after authorities briefly issued a tsunami warning.
The shallow quake had its epicenter off the northern coast of Flores, about 68 kilometers (42 miles) northwest of the town of Ende, according to Indonesian and U.S. seismic agencies. Strong aftershocks followed in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
In Nagekeo regency, the area closest to the epicenter, residents ran for higher ground as the sea retreated — a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists saw.
In the town of Maumere, hospital customer service officer Lukas Lotar, 31, said the ground began shaking violently. "Suddenly it started to shake and I panicked," he told AFP. "Patients also fled the hospital, the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked."
Yohanes Babo, 56, was at a market in Nagekeo when the quake hit. "The shaking was strong. Thankfully, we were already outside the house," he said. "People were panicking, running here and there. We’re evacuating for the time being... and trying to get to the hills." He added that his family was safe and no one was harmed.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned of possible tsunami waves and urged people along the northern coast of Flores, the southern islands and other 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," said Abdul Muhari, an official at the national disaster agency, BNPB.
Residents should "move away from the shore, either by going more than two kilometers inland or by moving up into hilly areas more than 10 meters high," he told local broadcaster Kompas TV.
BMKG earthquake and tsunami director Wijayanto said tsunami modeling suggested the potential for waves in East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara. An alert was issued for waves ranging from 0.5 to 3 meters (1.6 to 9.8 feet), but was later lifted. "We have ended (the tsunami warning) but we will keep monitoring the sea level," said Wijayanto, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.
Authorities have not reported any casualties, though tsunami waves of between 19 and 30 centimeters were detected. Broadcast images from Nagekeo showed hundreds of people evacuating among the rubble of damaged buildings, and an AFP correspondent in Maumere saw residents making their way to higher ground.
The quake served as another reminder of Indonesia’s position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Over the years, that fault line has produced some of the world’s most catastrophic disasters.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off Sumatra triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 220,000 people across the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia. The Boxing Day tragedy remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
In 2018, a powerful quake on the island of Lombok killed more than 550 people on the holiday island and neighboring Sumbawa. Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and tsunami in Palu, on Sulawesi Island, left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.
Saturday’s emergency underscored how quickly warnings can still send tens of thousands of people moving, even before a threat is confirmed. It also highlighted the challenge facing Indonesian authorities as they try to balance quick response with reliable alert systems in a region where the next major quake is never far away.