[UPDATED] Strong 7.7-magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island in eastern Indonesia on Saturday morning, according to the US Geological Survey. The epicenter was located approximately 68km northwest of the city of Ende, at a depth of just 10 kilometres. Following the initial quake, two stronger aftershocks measuring 5.6 and 5.9 on the Richter scale were reported.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued a warning regarding the potential generation of tsunami waves in the aftermath of the event. Indonesia, situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is no stranger to seismic activity due to its position along the intense seismic zone stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Brief written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.