7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Indonesia, Killing at Least 40

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 40 people and injuring 50, according to the latest reports. The quake struck north of Flores Island in the eastern part of the country, causing widespread panic as people fled into the streets amid crumbling buildings. A tsunami warning was issued but later lifted by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), which stated it was no longer detecting significant sea level rises that could threaten coastal communities.

Fathur Rahman, a rescue official, confirmed the death toll had risen to 40 by Saturday evening. The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) reported that 2,000 people in the Nagekeo Regency self-evacuated following the quake. Nelly Florida Riama, Deputy Director for Geophysics at BMKG, warned that aftershocks were "still occurring" and urged the public to remain calm and rely on official BMKG channels for information.

Tremors were felt across several regencies in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi. Later, a second 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Pematangsiantar on Sumatra at a depth of around 183 km, contrasting with the first quake's shallow depth of about 10 km. Deeper earthquakes generally cause less destruction due to reduced surface shaking.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed condolences and announced the EU's readiness to deploy its Copernicus Earth observation satellites to support search and rescue efforts, stating, "From solidarity to action, Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts."

Authorities are currently assessing the impact of the second quake.