At least 47 people killed following 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia
On Saturday, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia killing at least 38 people.
More than a dozen people are injured and others are likely still trapped in several buildings
Thomson Reuters
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At least 38 people died after an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 and dozens of aftershocks struck off eastern Indonesia on Saturday, officials said, as rescue workers rushed to reach areas closest to the epicentre.
A tsunami warning was lifted about three hours after the quake.
"The recorded figures are 38 fatalities, two people seriously injured, 11 with minor injuries," Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB, told a televised press conference earlier. He added that approximately 2,000 people had fled to safer ground.
Earlier, rescuers in the port town of Maumere found 20 dead, six injured and two trapped under the rubble, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city's rescue agency. Maumere is the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island in the east of Indonesia's vast archipelago.
Suharyanto said residents remain trapped in several buildings in earthquake-affected areas and there are reports of landslides blocking several roads.
Teams haven't yet reached region in quake's epicentre
Teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicentre, and communications signals there had been affected, Fathur told Reuters. Attempts to reach Nagekeo by car were blocked by landslides, while another team was attempting to go by ferry, he said.
About 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, and damage was reported to a number of houses, warehouses and government facilities, the BNPB said. Authorities also reported traffic congestion and power outages affecting parts of the regency, it said.
The governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, told a press conference at least five people died from collapsing rubble as they slept.
Parts of a building collapsed into dust and rubble as people screamed and ran in the street, a video on Facebook, verified by Reuters as being at a port in Maumere, showed.
"The quake was massive, the shock was so strong, we were resting at home with family," said Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura, a village in East Nusa Tenggara. "There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves."
Strong shaking was felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi, and residents in several areas reported shaking lasting about one minute, the BNPB said in a statement.
"Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes," it said.
Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a seismically active zone where different plates on the Earth’s crust meet, creating a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
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