22 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleFarida Susanty,BBC IndonesiaandHelen Sullivan,BBC News
BASARNASOne person has died following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia early on Saturday morning, sending people in Maumere, the main town on the island of Flores, running into the street.
Video taken at the port shows large chunks of concrete breaking off the terminal building onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some were thrown into the sea when the gangway to the ship collapsed.
A stream of people could be seen moving inland on motorbikes after authorities issued a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.
Search and rescue teams are in Maumere working to free anyone trapped in damaged buildings.
But it will take time to assess the full extent of the destruction in the region, which is remote and mountainous.
The National Disaster Management Agency, known in Indonesia as the BNPB, initially said two people had been killed.
It later confirmed one person had died and four had been injured.
“Following verification and validation by personnel on the ground, the data was revised to one confirmed fatality,” BNPB said in a statement.
The quake struck the Flores region in East Nusa Tenggara shortly before 05:00 local time. It had a depth of 15km, the Indonesian agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics said in a statement.
Authorities initially issued a potential tsunami warning after the quake, but it was later declared over.
Indonesia’s national disaster management agency later issued a statement saying that the agency was prioritising public safety and preventing additional casualties from aftershocks and related hazards.
Strong aftershocks were felt in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
The agency advised people to remain calm and stay away from coastal areas.
“Residents should also avoid entering buildings, especially those that have already sustained cracks or structural damage,” BNPB 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.”
Getty ImagesArnold Welianto, who lives in Talibura village, Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, told the BBC that he was still asleep when he felt the “very strong shaking”.
“I was startled awake and immediately went to my child’s room,” he said.
“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.”
“The water remained low for quite some time, so everyone panicked and ran – I went around to the community health centre, and the people there had already been evacuated.”
Welianto says many residents are choosing to remain outdoors because of the earthquake, and ongoing aftershocks mean they are afraid to return home.
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