JAKARTA: A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Flores island in eastern Indonesia early Saturday, the US Geological Survey said.
The epicenter of the quake was located off the north coast of the island, about 68 kilometers (42 miles) northwest of Ende, USGS said. The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of just 10 kilometers.
The initial quake was followed by two strong aftershocks in the same area, of magnitude 5.6 and 5.9.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned of the possibility of tsunami waves being generated by the quake.
Indonesia and neighboring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
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