A string of fresh earthquakes of varying magnitudes shook East Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday morning, sending residents into a panic.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) posted a tweet on its official Twitter account, confirming that at 7:16 a.m., a 6.3-magnitude earthquake occurred 66 kilometers from the southwestern part of East Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara at a depth of 10 kilometers.

In a written statement, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said the moderately powerful quake had lasted for about three to five seconds. Residents fled their houses and other buildings in panic, while students who had just arrived at elementary schools were picked up by their parents. 

However, the agency has yet to disclose the extent of damage the region has suffered in the wake of the quake.

In addition to the 6.3-magnitude quake, a series of brief quakes with magnitudes ranging from 5.0 to 6.0 also jolted the region. 

According to the official BMKG app, the first quake, with a magnitude of 5.2, hit East Sumba at 6:12 a.m.. Subsequent quakes with magnitudes of 5.3 and 6.0 occurred minutes later at 6:27 a.m. and 6:59 a.m. respectively. The agency later issued a statement, saying the quakes would not cause a tsunami. 

The East Sumba earthquakes are the latest in a spate of similar natural disasters striking other parts of the country.

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