Magnitude-7.7 quake hits off coast of Indonesia, killing at least 20 - NBC News
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Flores region, causing significant infrastructure damage and at least 47 deaths. Rescue efforts are currently hampered by landslides and communication disruptions.
Why it matters
Demonstrates the severe humanitarian and infrastructure impact of natural disasters in vulnerable geographic regions.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia in the eastern Flores region, the United States Geological Survey reported on Friday. The epicenter was 42 miles north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. At least 47 people have been killed, the National Disaster Management Agency said Saturday. Rescue teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicenter, after landslides blocked roads and disrupted communications, officials said. “The quake was massive, the shock was so strong,” Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura, a village in East Nusa Tenggara, told Reuters. “There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves.” 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.
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