The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climate, and Geophysics (BMKG) issued a temporary tsunami warning on Tuesday, 14 December 2021, following a 7.6 earthquake at 11:20 am Bali time 95 kilometers north of Maumere, Flores, in the Banda Sea. The depth of the initial quake was recorded at 10 kilometers below sea level.
At least 25 aftershocks of an intensity of 4 M or more followed the first earthquake, close to the original event, over the next 7 hours.
The earthquake and the subsequent seismic events were felt over a large Flores and Nusa Tenggara Timur area. Strong tremors were also felt in the South Sulawesi city of Makassar.
Social media showed videos of crowds in coastal areas like Maumere and Ende rushing away from the seaside in panic after the tsunami warning sounded by the BMKG.
The earthquake was not felt in Bali more than 300 nautical miles west of the epicenter.
By late afternoon there were no reports of significant property damage or casualties connected to the series of earthquakes.
Within the living memory of the people living on the north shore of Flores near Maumere is a 7.8 M earthquake that struck on 12 December 1992. That earthquake and the tsunami that followed caused the deaths of 2,100 people, left 500 people missing, 447 wounded, and 5,000 people were made homeless refugees.
The tsunami warning issued on 14 December for Flores, South Sulawesi, East and West Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, and Maluku was lifted by late afternoon.
