Indonesia hit by second strong earthquake after 7.7-magnitude tremor

Indonesia was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, hours after a powerful 7.7-magnitude quake struck the country, killing at least 38 people.

The morning earthquake struck Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province. The death toll could rise as many people remain trapped under rubble.

The second quake struck near Pematangsiantar city in North Sumatra at 5:54pm local time at a depth of 163 kilometres, according to Volcano Discovery.

The latest earthquake was felt by people in the area but caused no major damage, according to initial reports.

Meanwhile, videos posted on social media showed damaged buildings and houses and people fleeing in panic following the morning quake.

Johanna Mbu, a resident of Sikka city in East Nusa Tenggara, told AFP that many houses in the city had been destroyed. She said she saw a building collapse in the port area during the quake.

Provincial Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said several people died while sleeping after being buried under collapsed structures.

Initial assessments showed 54 houses were severely damaged, along with five health centres, three places of worship, six government buildings, an educational institution and a warehouse. Manggarai was identified as one of the worst-affected areas.

SKS