Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning after an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale struck the Flores Sea area. The quake struck at 0320 GMT in the Flores Sea, about 112 km (70 miles) northwest of the town of Larantuka, in the eastern part of Flores island, at a depth of 12 km.
No significant damage or deaths were immediately reported from the areas where the quake was felt, but authorities urged caution. Indonesian authorities have urged residents of affected areas to not panic but seek a safe location away from the shore.
The last time an earthquake triggered a tsunami in Indonesia was in 2004. On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off the coast of northwest Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.
