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Magnitude 7 earthquake in NTT triggers panic, evacuations amid tsunami fears
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Disasters & Emergencies

Magnitude 7 earthquake in NTT triggers panic, evacuations amid tsunami fears

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • A magnitude 7 earthquake struck NTT, Indonesia, causing strong tremors and prompting residents to evacuate to higher ground due to tsunami warnings.
  • Residents described panic and fear, with many fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in elevated areas or with relatives away from the coast.
  • In South Sulawesi, residents also evacuated to hills, with local officials noting increased preparedness due to past earthquake experiences, though no significant damage has been reported.

A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake jolted Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province on Saturday morning, triggering widespread panic and immediate evacuations as tsunami warnings were issued.

We are all panicked, we immediately ran out of the house to save ourselves because the shaking was too strong and lasted quite a long time.

— Kristo isa MiaA resident of Maumere City, Sikka, describing the strong earthquake.

Residents in Maumere City, Sikka, recounted the terrifying experience. Kristo Isa Mia described the ground shaking intensely and for a prolonged period, causing him and his family to flee their home in fear. "We are all panicked, we immediately ran out of the house to save ourselves because the shaking was too strong and lasted quite a long time," he told CNNIndonesia.com. The fear of a tsunami was palpable, leading many, including Mia, to seek safety at relatives' homes situated far from the coast. Veronika, another resident, shared similar sentiments, detailing the chaotic scene as people rushed into the streets. She mentioned that residents even used electric poles as makeshift alarms to alert others.

We are very scared, we have already evacuated, I took my family to a relative's house far from the beach, afraid of a tsunami.

— Kristo isa MiaA resident of Maumere City, Sikka, explaining his family's evacuation due to tsunami fears.

In response to the seismic activity and the tsunami alert, residents in the Kecamatan Pasimarannu and Pasilambena of Kepulauan Selayar, South Sulawesi, also swiftly evacuated to higher ground. Muhammad Natsir Ali, the Regent of Kepulauan Selayar, noted that the community's rapid response was influenced by the trauma and damage experienced during a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in December 2021. "The community's awareness of facing earthquakes in Pasimarannu and Pasilambena, thank God, was fast, they immediately ran to the hills," he stated. While residents were understandably anxious, Natsir Ali confirmed that, as of Saturday morning, there were no reports of building damage, unlike the severe destruction seen in 2021. Authorities remain vigilant as they monitor the situation.

We were all panicked earlier, especially since my parents are also paralyzed, so I tried to push them out of the house.

— VeronikaA resident describing the chaotic moments during the earthquake and evacuation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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