A powerful magnitude 7.7 quake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake hit Indonesia's Flores region with a depth of 10 kilometres at 5.58am, Saturday (Indonesia time). Its epicentre was 68km north-northwest of the city of Ende. It was followed by two aftershocks
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning and urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. The agency located the shallow undersea quake near Flores island.
Residents along affected coastlines were advised to move to higher ground as officials are closely monitoring coastal tide gauges for any changes.
New Zealand Civil Defence confirmed there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand following the quake.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
More to come
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