Tsunami warning lifted after brief waves

The shallow offshore earthquake, recorded at a depth of 15 kilometers at 4:58 a.m. local time, triggered brief tsunami waves of under 1 meter and prompted authorities to issue a warning that was lifted three hours later.

Strong tremors lasting up to a minute rattled East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and parts of South Sulawesi, forcing frightened residents to flee their homes and sleep outdoors. In the Ende district, a local hospital was forced to evacuate patients outside, while regional footage captured buildings collapsing into rubble.

Rescue efforts hampered by landslides

Rescue operations are currently facing severe impediments, particularly in Nagekeo—the region closest to the epicenter—where landslides have blocked roads and mobile communications have been severed.

While emergency teams attempt to reach the area by ferry, about 2,000 Nagekeo residents have evacuated amid widespread damage to homes, warehouses, and government offices.

Rescuers search collapsed buildings

In the port town of Maumere on Flores Island, rescuers recovered 20 bodies and searched for survivors beneath a partially collapsed port building, with East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena noting that multiple fatalities occurred when buildings collapsed on sleeping residents.

Hundreds of structures damaged

Preliminary BNPB assessments indicate hundreds of damaged structures, including nearly 350 homes, 87 schools, and 18 health facilities, alongside widespread power outages.

Indonesia, which straddles the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire," is no stranger to such disasters; authorities noted that the same region was struck by a destructive 7.5-magnitude earthquake in 1992.