A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia shortly before 5 a.m. local time on Sunday, killing at least 53 people and destroying or damaging more than 300 houses, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency. A second earthquake, measuring magnitude 6.9, hit the same region just hours later.
The quakes were strongly felt across the province of East Nusa Tenggara. The epicenter of the initial earthquake was located about 60 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in Indonesia's Flores region, at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 6.1 magnitude quake and a 5.9 magnitude quake were also recorded north of Ende as aftershocks.
The initial quake triggered fears of a tsunami. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued alerts telling people to stay away from beaches and calling for evacuations. About 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 disaster management agency said. Those tsunami warnings later expired, according to the Associated Press.
Beyond residential buildings, more than 100 public facilities were destroyed or damaged. That included 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, six offices, and five places of worship. Emergency crews, including members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, were conducting evacuations and assessing damage across the affected area.
Dozens of people were injured in addition to the 53 confirmed deaths. Photos from the area showed visible damage to buildings. Emergency operations were ongoing as officials worked to determine the full scale of destruction.
