Indonesians flee homes after magnitude 7.3 earthquake prompts tsunami warning
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, with monitors briefly warning of the possibility of hazardous tsunami waves before lifting the threat.
The epicentre was north of the island of Flores in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, where the quake sparked terror after hitting at approximately 03:20 GMT.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, known as BMKG earlier reported the magnitude 7.4 earthquake and warned of a “potential tsunami”.
“I was in the field. People ran in panic. I am still… scared,” said Nuraini, a resident of Adonara island in the East Flores regency, told the AFP news agency.
Terrified people were shown screaming as they gathered on the street while the earth shook, according to a video obtained by Al Jazeera from Marius Jelamu, a spokesman at the governor’s office of East Nusa Tenggara.
Another video provided by the same source showed a slight increase in the level of water in one coastal area in the province but no major tsunami was reported.
There were also no significant damage or deaths reported from the areas where the quake was felt, even as authorities urged caution.
The USGS said the chance of casualties was low while noting that “recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as tsunamis and landslides that might have contributed to losses”.
“Everyone ran out into the street,” Agustinus Florianus, a resident of Maumere town on Flores island, told the Reuters news agency.
Tsunami warnings were issued for the areas of Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and Southeast and South Sulawesi, after the quake hit 112km (69.59 miles) northwest of Larantuka, in the eastern part of Flores, at a depth of 12km (7.4 miles).
A magnitude 5.6 aftershock hit Larantuka after the first quake, according to reports.
Alfons Hada Betan, the head of East Flores Disaster Mitigation agency in Larantuka also said there were no immediate reports of damage and the quake was felt for several minutes as people fled from their homes. Read More…
