Maumere: The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia's eastern Flores Island rose to at least 20 on Saturday, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and people trapped under rubble.
According to Qatar News Agency, Fathur Rahman, head of the rescue agency in the city of Maumere, reported that emergency teams had recovered the bodies of 20 people, while six others were injured and two remained trapped under rubble in the coastal city.
Maumere is the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island, one of Indonesia's major islands. Fathur stated that rescue teams had so far been unable to reach Nagekeo, the area closest to the earthquake's epicenter, because communications had been disrupted there.
Attempts to reach the area by road were hampered by landslides, while another team was trying to reach it by sea. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency mentioned that authorities had evacuated about 2,000 people from Nagekeo, where damage was reported to a number of homes, warehouses, and government facilities.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake but lifted it about three hours later. The agency recorded the earthquake at a depth of 15 kilometers, with several aftershocks following.
Indonesia is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.