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A 7.7-magnitude earthquake off the coast near the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia killed 38 people and injured 13 others.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on the 15th (local time) that 38 people were killed in an earthquake off the northern coast of Flores Island, Nusatenggaratimur, on the eastern Sosunda Islands.

BNPB Commissioner Suharyanto said at a press conference on the same day, "There are two serious injuries and 11 minor injuries," adding, "About 2,000 people have evacuated themselves."

Rescue teams are searching and rescuing buried people throughout Flores Island, but in some areas, landslides have blocked roads.

When Indonesia's Meteorological and Climate Geological Administration (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning two minutes after the first earthquake, thousands of people were evacuated from Nagekeo, Flores Island, which is closest to the epicenter, as well as Maumere and Ende.

According to AFP, evacuees using motorcycles or cars formed a long procession, and some carried themselves in truckloads and evacuated.

Johanna Mbu, of Maumere, Nusatenggaratimur, told the Associated Press that "many outer walls of buildings were damaged here," and that "the port terminal waiting room collapsed."

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Nearby, the roof of the Catholic seminary's auditorium collapsed, and students and brides were seen running scared.

An official from the seminary said, "When the earthquake occurred, the bride jumped from the second floor of the building, and her leg was broken."

On this day, flights to Nusatenggaratimur were canceled one after another, and blackouts occurred in some areas.

BMKG lifted the tsunami warning within three hours after no sea level changes were observed to threaten coastal areas, but it continues to prepare for any contingencies.

We have lifted the tsunami warning, but we will continue to monitor sea level conditions, said Wijayanto, director of BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami.

At 5:58 a.m., a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the northern coast of Flores Island, followed by 52 aftershocks of 3.6-6.2 magnitude. The earthquake detected tremors in most parts of Flores Island.

Indonesia is in the Pacific Rim midwifery, called the "ring of fire," where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.

In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the waters of Banda Aceh in northern Sumatra island state, killing 170,000 people.

Flores Island, home to 2 million people, was also hit by a tsunami after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in 1992, killing about 2,500 people.