A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, killing at least 38 and injuring over a dozen residents, AP reported.

The earthquake hit Indonesia’s Flores region at a depth of 10 kilometres at 5.58 am local time, the news agency quoted the United States Geological Survey as saying. The epicentre of the quake was located 68 kilometres northwest of the city of Ende.

After the earthquake, tsunami waves of less than 3 feet were recorded in several parts of Indonesia, Reuters reported. The tsunami warning was lifted three hours after the quake.

“As of 15:00 [0800 GMT], the recorded figures are 38 fatalities, two people seriously injured, 11 with minor injuries,” Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, was quoted by Reuters as having said at a press conference. About 2,000 people had fled to safer ground, he said.

Sixteen bodies were pulled out from the site of a landslide in the village of Reok in the Manggarai region.

Strong tremors were also felt in the regions of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi. In many places, residents reported shaking that lasted about a minute, Reuters reported.

“Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes,” the news agency quoted the disaster management authority as saying.

Indonesia lies on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active zone where different geological plates meet, leading to a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.