At least 20 killed as magnitude 7.7 quake hits Indonesia

JAKARTA, Aug. 15 (YPA) –  At least 20 people were killed after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia early Saturday, according to a rescue official cited by Agence France-Presse.

Rescue official Fathur Rahman said six people were injured and two others remained trapped under the rubble.

Authorities initially reported at least two deaths and warned of dozens of aftershocks along Indonesia’s eastern coast.

Tsunami waves measuring less than one meter were recorded in several areas. The tsunami warning was lifted about three hours after the earthquake.

Video footage filmed at Maumere Port and posted on Facebook showed part of a building collapsing amid dust and rubble as people screamed and fled the area, Reuters reported.

Footage aired by Kompas TV showed patients being evacuated from a hospital in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara province. The channel also reported at least one landslide caused by the earthquake.

The Indonesian Geophysical Agency said the earthquake struck at 4:58 a.m. local time (21:58 GMT) at a depth of 15 kilometers. Several aftershocks were recorded afterward.

The Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said the offshore earthquake posed no tsunami threat to mainland Australia, its islands, or territories.

@E.Y.M