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At least five people were killed after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia's Flores Island on Saturday morning.
CNN reported the confirmed death toll, citing updates from Provincial Police Chief Rudi Darmoko to regional media. The main tremor struck around 6 AM local time roughly 68 kilometres northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province and was followed by a series of aftershocks, CNN reported, citing data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS estimated that about 500,000 people were exposed to very strong or severe shaking, which damaged buildings and shocked residents awake, forcing them to flee their homes. Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, noted that an initial tsunami warning was triggered following the quake but was later lifted. The agency added that about 2,000 residents in the Nagekeo regency evacuated as a precautionary measure. Early damage assessments from BNPB indicate that around 15 buildings, including personal homes and government offices, sustained damage, CNN reported. The developments follow a massive earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that jolted Indonesia early on Saturday, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The earthquake occurred at a depth of 49 km, the NCS said in a post on X."EQ of M: 7.4, On: 15/08/2026 03:28:24 IST, Lat: 8.557 S, Long: 121.181 E, Depth: 49 Km, Location: Indonesia," the NCS said. A tsunami warning was also issued after the massive earthquake, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). Soon after, another earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the Flores Sea, located between the Indonesian islands of Flores and Sulawesi, at a depth of 63 km. The tremor occurred at 3:43 am IST, according to the NCS. "EQ of M: 6.3, On: 15/08/2026 03:43:55 IST, Lat: 8.298 S, Long: 120.164 E, Depth: 63 Km, Location: Flores Sea," it said in another post. This was followed by a third earthquake of magnitude 6.0, which was recorded in the Flores Sea at a depth of 42 km at 3:58 am IST, the NCS said. "EQ of M: 6.0, On: 15/08/2026 03:58:41 IST, Lat: 8.494 S, Long: 121.601 E, Depth: 42 Km, Location: Flores Sea," the NCS posted on X. Indonesia is prone to frequent seismic and volcanic activity. (ANI)
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