Death toll from Indonesia earthquake rises to 20

The death toll from Saturday morning's magnitude 7.7 earthquake and several strong aftershocks in eastern Indonesia has risen to 20, an emergency official said on the same day.

Fathur Rahman, an official from the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, a regional division of Indonesia's national rescue agency, told a news outlet that 20 people have died, six have been injured, and two remain buried.

The epicenter was located about 30 km northeast of Mbay, East Nusa Tenggara province, with a depth of 15 km, the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said.

The quake initially triggered a tsunami warning, which was later lifted by the BMKG.

"I am now in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. At 05:58 Central Indonesian Time (WITA), a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. In the next few hours, several strong aftershocks of magnitude 5 to 6 also occurred near the epicenter. Indonesian official agencies issued a tsunami warning immediately after the earthquake. Fortunately, the tsunami warning was lifted around 08:30 local time," said Li Lin, a reporter from China Media Group.

Strong tremors were felt in several areas, prompting many panicked residents to rush into the streets for safe shelter, local media reported.

The Chinese Consulate General in Denpasar said there are no reports of casualties of Chinese citizens in the earthquake.

Search and rescue teams are continuing to assess casualties and damage across affected areas, with further updates expected as emergency operations proceed.

"We are now reporting on the progress of search and rescue operations in response to the earthquake on Flores Island, specifically involving Nagekeo Regency and other areas. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7 and a focal depth of about 10 kilometers, affected Sikka. As far as Sikka is concerned, the search and rescue work has been carried out there by a joint search and rescue team, whose members include personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency. In other counties and districts affected by the earthquake, we are also carrying out corresponding operations," said Florez, a rescuer.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most volcanically active countries.

Death toll from Indonesia earthquake rises to 20

Death toll from Indonesia earthquake rises to 20

Severe drought and high temperatures have sent the Danube River's water level in eastern Serbia plunging, resurfacing the wreckage of Nazi German warships that sank during World War II.

In normal years, the Danube River section in eastern Serbia would be flowing with abundant waters. However, persistent high temperatures and drought have reduced the river to bare sandbars, exposing several German warships from World War II that had remained submerged for decades.

In September 1944, as the Soviet Red Army advanced into the Balkans, retreating German forces scuttled the vessels to block the Soviet advance. An estimated 200 German warships sank near Prahovo. Some wrecks were removed after the war, but others remained at the riverbed as they were laden with explosives. With water levels now plummeting, more of those sunken ships have resurfaced.

"The current water level is 130 centimeters below zero. In some situations, it was even over 700 centimeters in plus. This is the lowest water level on the Danube that I can remember. So, all of those [ships] came to the surface," said Srdjan, a local resident.

Receding Danube water levels reveal sunken WWII warships