A new earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia, specifically North Sumatra, according to an announcement by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ). The focal depth of the new earthquake was measured at 158 kilometers.

The country had earlier been struck by a powerful 7.7 magnitude that struck off the eastern coast, killing at least 38 people and causing widespread destruction.

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Tsunami waves less than one meter high were recorded in several areas of the Southeast Asian country following the earthquake that occurred in the early morning hours today. The tsunami warning was lifted about three hours after the earthquake.

   Rescue workers in the area around the port city of Maumere found 20 dead, six injured, and two others trapped under rubble, said Fatur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue service. Maumere is the main city of the Sika region on the island of Flores in the eastern part of the vast Indonesian archipelago.

Rescue teams have not yet reached Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicenter, and communications there have been disrupted, Fatur told Reuters. Attempts to reach Nagekeo by car failed due to landslides, while another team was trying to get there by ferry, he said.

   About 2,000 residents of Nangkeo were evacuated, and damage has been reported to homes, warehouses, and government facilities, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) stated. Authorities also reported traffic congestion and power outages in parts of the region, he said.

The governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiantes Laka Lena, stated at a press conference that at least five people died when debris fellwhile they were sleeping.

The BNPB, which reported one death and four injuries from the earthquake, said it is still gathering information.

Parts of a collapsed building, with people screaming and running into the street, as seen in a video on Facebook, the authenticity of which was confirmed by Reuters, were taken at a port in Maumere.

The earthquake was felt throughout East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and parts of South Sulawesi, while residents in several areas reported that the tremor lasted about one minute, the BNRB said in a statement.

   “Most people felt the tremor and ran out of their homes,” it said.

   Footage from Kompas TV shows a hospital in the Ende district of East Nusa Tenggara province moving patients outdoors, while Kompas.com reported at least one landslide.

The Indonesian Geophysical Agency (BKMG) recorded the first earthquake at 4:58 a.m. (local time, 00:58 Cyprus time) at a depth of 15 kilometers, followed by several aftershocks.

   In 1992, the same region was struck by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that caused widespread destruction, it reported.

   Indonesia is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly seismically active zone where various tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust converge, causing intense seismic and volcanic activity.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced EU support for earthquake-stricken Indonesia in a post on X. In her message, she also stated that the EU will provide practical support for the effort to locate people trapped in the rubble through Copernicus, the Earth observation program that uses satellite and ground-based (non-space) data.

“Terrible news from Indonesia today. My thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones in this devastating earthquake,” the Commission President said in her post. 

She went on to she adds that “from solidarity to action, Europe is ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts.”

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