на Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) issued an early tsunami alert for the islands of Flores and Lembata after a strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores Island.
Islands’ residents were urged to “stay away from beaches and river banks” shortly after the quake was reported around 10:20 local time (03:20 GMT) on Tuesday.
BMKG initially reported the quake as a 7.5-magnitutude tremor, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put its magnitude at 7.6 and later downgraded it to 7.3 on the Richter scale.
The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning System – which recorded the earthquake as a 7.6 – предупреди that hazardous цунами waves were “possible for coasts located within 1000km of the earthquake epicenter.” It added, however, that “no areas covered by this message appear to be immediately threatened.”
The quake rocked the area some 112 kilometers (70 miles) north of the town of Maumere at a depth of 18.5 kilometers (11 miles). Maumere is the second-largest town on Flores Island and is home to some 85,000 people.
In December 1992, a severe 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Flores Island, resulting in a цунами and around 2,500 deaths.