Powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia, leaves 20 dead triggers mass evacuations

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck Indonesia, leaving people dead and razing the homes and buildings to the ground.

The quake hit Flores island in eastern Indonesia at a shallow depth of just 6.2 miles just before 6am local time. Later, the people also felt several aftershocks.

As a result, roughly 20 people lost their lives while forcing thousands of people to flee and triggering mass evacuations amid the rescuing efforts.

According to rescue officials, “From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried.”

“Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble,” they added.

Authorities rescinded a tsunami warning roughly three hours after an early morning earthquake sparked immediate evacuations along a Southeast Asian coastline.

Tsunami waves measuring less than 1 metre (3 ft) were registered across multiple areas before the alert was officially lifted.

Residents near beaches and riverbanks were initially urged to relocate to higher ground, while local television footage captured hospitals moving patients and critical equipment into outdoor temporary treatment zones.

Among all the places, Nagekeo is feared to be the worst affected because of its proximity to the epicentre, thereby also causing severe disruption of communication signals.

Teams are trying to reach Nagekeo as the roads were reported to be blocked by landslides. According to the national disaster mitigation agency NPB, about 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, ​and damage was reported to a number of houses, warehouses and government facilities.