Photo: IANS
Jakarta: A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 47 people and causing widespread destruction, including the collapse of homes and buildings. Six people were reported injured, while two others remained missing after a landslide triggered by the quake.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning and urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground. The alert was later withdrawn after monitoring by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency found no significant changes in sea levels that could threaten coastal communities, Associated Press reported.
The epicentre was located 36 km northeast of Mbay, East Nusa Tenggara province, with a depth of 15 km, according to the BMKG, which has issued a tsunami warning following the tremor, Xinhua news agency reported.
Strong tremors were felt in several areas, prompting many panicked residents to rush into the streets for safe shelter, local media reported.
The initial jolt was followed by strong aftershocks in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most volcanically active countries.
Among Indonesia's history of deadly quakes is a devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor in 2004 that struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia, IANS reported.
In 2018, Indonesia’s Lombok island was hit by a powerful earthquake, followed by a series of aftershocks over the following weeks. The disaster killed more than 550 people across Lombok and neighbouring Sumbawa, both popular tourist destinations.
Later that year, another major disaster struck Sulawesi. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the island, triggering a devastating tsunami in Palu. More than 4,300 people were killed or reported missing in the disaster.