At least 40 people have died after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia this morning.
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The national disaster management agency reported that there are other people injured to varying degrees and stressed that the figures are preliminary and may change. Search and rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas.
Rescue teams are working to extract people who may be trapped in buildings damaged by the earthquake and by dozens of subsequent aftershocks.
According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, the tremor was recorded at a depth of 15 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes typically cause more severe consequences on the surface, while powerful aftershocks were also recorded in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
A tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake but was lifted about three hours later, the BBC reports. The first tremor struck the island of Flores just before 5:00 a.m. local time.
Footage filmed at the port of Maumere showed large chunks of concrete breaking off from the terminal building and falling onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some of them ended up in the sea after the connecting bridge to the ship collapsed.
Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara province, the victims lost their lives in their sleep, as their homes collapsed and trapped them inside.
Following the tsunami warning, many people were seen leaving coastal areas on motorcycles. According to local officials, around 2,000 people were evacuated or left the risk zones on their own initiative. Officials are advising residents to avoid entering buildings, especially those that already have cracks or structural damage.
