A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the coast of eastern Indonesia Friday, the US Geological Survey reported, causing the country to frantically issue a tsunami warning.
The enormous quake reportedly started around 4:58 a.m. local time in the Flores region at a depth of 21.75 miles, according to Reuters
At least three aftershocks followed, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, triggering heightened fears by the Indonesian government of a tsunami.
There is no publicly available information about the extent of the damage.
But videos taken by locals along the Indonesian coastline showed several buildings swaying and crumbling as horrified crowds sprinted toward open spaces to escape the debris and chaos.
Following the initial earthquake, video showed the shoreline receding — indicating that a trough, or lowest part of a possible tsunami wave, had reached the coast.
The drastic pullback exposed the seafloor, indicating a massive wall of water could soon follow.
Such volatility is a recurring reality for Indonesia, an archipelagic nation that sits squarely on the ‘Ring of Fire,’ one of the most tectonically active regions in the Pacific.
The quake comes after a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake slammed Colombia Monday, the strongest in over a decade.
