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Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Off Flores, Indonesia

Tsunami alerts forced mass evacuations; measured waves stayed under one metre and officials are continuing damage and casualty surveys.

Overview

  • The magnitude 7.7 quake struck offshore Flores early Saturday with a shallow focus about 68 kilometres from Ende, the US Geological Survey reported.
  • Indonesia’s meteorology agency issued tsunami warnings for 0.5–3 metre waves that prompted mass self-evacuations and coastal moves inland.
  • Sea gauges in the region recorded only small waves of roughly 19–30 centimetres, and some local tsunami alerts were later revoked as officials kept monitoring the sea.
  • Aftershocks, including a reported M6.1, rattled the area and hospitals and emergency teams moved patients and civilians to safer ground.
  • Casualty and damage totals remain uncertain with initial reports ranging from two deaths to a later local toll of 38 and authorities say continued field surveys and sea monitoring are needed to guide relief efforts.