2 Dead Following Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Off Indonesia's Flores Island; Tsunami Warning Lifted

A strong magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia, prompting a temporary tsunami warning and sending thousands of residents to evacuate.

Indonesian disaster management authorities reported that two people were killed as a result of the earthquake, which struck off the northern coast of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province within the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Local rescue teams are carrying out search and rescue operations across various parts of Flores Island.

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics issued a tsunami warning just two minutes after the initial earthquake, prompting thousands of people to evacuate in areas including Nagekeo on Flores Island, as well as nearby Maumere and Ende.

The tsunami warning was later lifted after no changes in sea level capable of threatening coastal regions were observed.

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northern coast of Flores Island at around 5:58 AM local time today (August 15), followed by multiple aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.1.

Tremors from the earthquake were felt across most parts of Flores Island.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Banda Aceh in northern Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed 170,000 people.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.