At least 38 dead after 7.7-magnitude earthquake hits eastern Indonesia - Mothership

A tsunami warning has since been lifted but aftershocks continue to rock the region.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores, an island in eastern Indonesia, at around 5:30am local time on Aug. 15, leaving 38 people dead and thousands displaced.

According to Kompas, Indonesia's National Agency for Disaster Countermeasures (BNPB) Head Suharyanto said that an additional two people were seriously injured, while 11 others suffered minor injuries.

The BBC reported that buildings were damaged and that dozens of aftershocks followed.

Any earthquake less than 70km deep is considered shallow, and the shallower an earthquake is, the more likely it will cause more damage as it is closer to the surface, according to CNN.

According to the BBC, the governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, said at a news conference that the victims were killed in their sleep by collapsing rubble.

A tsunami warning was issued but lifted around three hours after the initial quake when no significant rise in sea level was detected.

The Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), or Indonesia's National Agency for Disaster Countermeasures, said 2,000 people had evacuated or relocated on their own, BBC reported.

Several roads have also been closed due to landslides resulting from the quake, Kompas reported.

The agency added in a Facebook post that of the fatalities recorded, three were in Sikka province, six in Manggarai province, and five in East Manggarai province.