A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Flores in southwest Indonesia this Friday, leaving at least two dead and two injured, according to local authorities in the Asian country.
Read more Government of Bolivia eliminates the Ministries of Planning and Tourism by decree
The earthquake occurred at 04:58 local time (17:58 Chile time) with its epicenter located off the northern coast of the island and at a depth of only 15 kilometers, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia.
Just a few hours after this movement, the death of two people was confirmed. The first of them “died after being hit by debris from a building,” as reported by the local Search and Rescue delegation, according to the Indonesian news agency ANTARA.
“So far, two fatalities have been reported”, a man and a woman, said the agency spokesman, Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, who added that authorities were still determining the full extent of the damage.
The spokesman added that the deceased were found in the waiting room of the Lorens Say port, in the Sikka district, east of the island, although he clarified that they had not yet been identified.
Likewise, he revealed that two other injured were taken to a nearby hospital for intensive treatment.
Read more Venezuela announces the release of more than 130 people detained for political reasons
“Once the data is confirmed, we will officially announce the final number of victims and the extent of the damage to buildings caused by the earthquake”, he pointed out.
After the tremor, authorities issued a preventive tsunami alert for the adjacent coastal areas, which was withdrawn shortly after evaluating the evolution of the water mass.
“The early tsunami warning caused by the earthquake has been declared over,” the Indonesian meteorological agency confirmed at that time through an official statement.
After the earthquake, aftershocks ranging from 5.6 to 6.1 in magnitude were also recorded in the same region.
Rescue teams continue to assess the damage and victims in the affected areas of Flores island, and more details are expected as emergency operations continue.
Read more Trump assures that «very soon» he will declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory
