Five dead after 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia sparks tsunami fears

Search and rescue are combing through rubble to free people trapped in buildings after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia.

Five people are known to have died in the disaster, with the governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, saying they had died in their sleep.

Several aftershocks followed the earthquake on early Saturday morning, with the government issuing a tsunami warning too.

Streams of people could be seen rushing inland after the warning, with concrete reportedly falling off a terminal building at the port in Maumere.

Some passengers waiting to board the inter-island ferry were thrown into the sea as the gangway collapsed.

The tsunami warning was lifted around 8am local time, three hours after the main quake struck the island of Flores.

The Indonesian agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics said in a statement the quake had a depth of 15km.

‘Residents should also avoid entering buildings, especially those that have already sustained cracks or structural damage,’ the BNPB – Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency – said.

‘A rapid assessment is currently underway to determine the number of casualties and the extent of the impact. We will provide that information after the data has been verified.’

Locals were mainly asleep when the earthquake began, waking up to ‘very strong shaking’ as the disaster unfolded.

Arnold Welianto, who lives in Talibura village, Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, told the BBC: ‘I was startled awake and immediately went to my child’s room.

‘Once we were outside, residents in our neighbourhood, which is located close to the shoreline, had already fled their homes and were heading toward the hills and crowding the roads, while some other residents were standing along the roadside because the sea had also receded.’

He said the water levels caused people to ‘panic and run’ as it remained low for ‘quite some time’.

Around 2,000 residents are said to have been evacuated in Nagekeo, with damage to several buildings.

Strong aftershocks were felt around the area, with a max magnitude of 6.1, as most residents stayed outside for fear that the buildings could still collapse.

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