At least 47 people were killed and dozens were injured in eastern Indonesia after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake, one of the largest the region had experienced in decades, struck north of Flores Island on Saturday.
The initial earthquake hit at 5:58 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey, about a thousand miles east of the capital, Jakarta. Its epicenter was 42 miles north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.
A subsequent 6.4-magnitude quake struck the country’s western Sumatra island, according to officials.
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Indonesia, an archipelago with about 17,500 islands, is at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, in an area known as the Ring of Fire. The region experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as large blocks of the Earth’s crust collide.
Authorities also issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when Indonesia’s meteorological agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level change. Some smaller tsunamis were reported.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency announced that approximately 2,000 residents in the Nagekeo Regency on Flores island “carried out self-evacuation as a precautionary measure after the earthquake and due to the early warning of a tsunami.”
The earthquakes caused severe damage and collapsed buildings, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. More than 100 public facilities have also been destroyed or damaged, including 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, six offices and five places of worship.
The European Commission offered assistance with “eyes in the sky” via the Copernicus program, an observation system that can provide mapping services for search operations and damage assessments, to support Indonesian search and rescue operations, President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday.
“Indonesia, we stand with you,” von der Leyen said in a post on X.
The foreign ministries of Italy, Greece and Estonia and officials have posted messages of support on X.
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East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko reported that power outages in cities and villages have hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts.
Emergency crews, including members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, are conducting evacuations and assessing damage. Two missing persons are known at this time, according to the Associated Press.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.