Deadly earthquake strikes Indonesia and triggers mass evacuations

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's eastern Flores island early on Saturday. The quake left at least 20 people dead, according to France 24, with several others trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Emergency crews are racing to reach affected communities as landslides blocked roads and residents fled to higher ground amid fears of a tsunami.

The earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings, with power outages in cities and villages hampering the flow of information and complicating search and rescue efforts, as reported by CBS News. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit Indonesia's Flores region at 5:58 am local time, with its epicenter 42 miles north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Several aftershocks followed the initial quake, including one with a magnitude of 6.1, according to Le Monde English.

Tsunami waves of less than 1 meter were recorded in several areas, prompting a warning that was later lifted when Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threat to coastal communities. Footage showed patients at several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution following the quake, with hospital staff moving equipment outdoors.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, CBS News, SABC News, People Daily Kenya, Le Monde English — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.