AN earthquake of magnitude 7.7 and several aftershocks struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, the nation's geophysics agency BMKG said.
At the same time, tsunami waves of less than 1 metre (3 feet) were recorded in several areas.
Many rushed from their homes, but there have been no immediate casualties reported from the quake, which was felt strongly for around one minute in regions such as Nagekeo and Bima, said Dodi Yuleova, the spokesperson for the national disaster mitigation agency.
The initial quake was followed by two aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that tsunami waves could be generated by the quake.
"Tsunami modelling results indicate that this earthquake has the potential to generate a tsunami in the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara," BMKG earthquake and tsunami director Wijayanto said.
An alert was issued for waves ranging from 0.5m to 3m.
Images broadcast on Indonesian television showed damaged buildings and hundreds of people in nearby Nagekeo regency evacuating. - August 15, 2026
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