Powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia, killing at least 40

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 20 people.

The quake struck to the north of Flores Island in the eastern part of the country in the early hours of the morning, sparking panic as people fled into the streets amid crumbling buildings.

A tsunami warning was declared but has since been lifted, with Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) saying it was no longer detecting significant sea level rises that could threaten coastal communities.

"From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried," rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP while making his way to Nagekeo Regency, the area hit hardest by the quake.

"Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble," Fathur added.

Nelly Florida Riama, a deputy director for geophysics at BMKG, warned that while the tsunami warning was over, "aftershocks are still occurring."

"We urge the public to remain calm, not to be swayed by irresponsible rumours, and to keep up to date with information from the BMKG’s official channels,” Nelly added.

According to the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), around 2,000 residents in Nagekeo Regency self-evacuated following the earthquake and the tsunami warning.

The BNPB said tremors were reported to have been felt across the regencies of Nagekeo, Sikka, and West Manggarai in the province of East Nusa Tenggara; Bima City and Bima Regency in West Nusa Tenggara; and in the Jeneponto, Selayar Islands, and Maros Regencies in South Sulawesi.