JAKARTA — Indonesia lifted a tsunami alert Tuesday following a magnitude 7.3 undersea earthquake that struck off Flores Island, triggering panic in a region prone to fatal quakes but apparently causing no major damage or casualties, AP reported.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake hit at a depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.5 miles) under the sea, and was located 112 kilometers (74 miles) north of the town of Maumere, the second-largest on the island in East Nusa Tenggara province with a population of 85,000.
After an initial tsunami alert, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and later Indonesia’s meteorological agency lifted the warning hours after the quake.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said residents in East Flores district felt the earthquake strongly. Footage showed people running away from buildings that shook from the impact.
One person was reported injured in East Nusa Tenggara province.
The shocks were felt in 14 districts and cities across the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi.
The shocks were also felt in Makassar city and the Selayar Islands area in South Sulawesi province, across the Flores Sea. The disaster mitigation agency reported hundreds of buildings, including houses, schools and places of worships, were damaged in the Selayar Islands.
Muhari said that based on sea level observations, minor tsunamis of 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) were detected in Marapokot and Reo areas.
