Quake struck Flores region early on Saturday, prompting thousands to seek higher ground for fear of a tsunami

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, killing at least 38 people, causing widespread panic and collapsing buildings and homes in a region prone to deadly seismic events.

Authorities issued a tsunami warning, which has since been lifted, but there have been dozens of aftershocks, including one of magnitude of 6.1. Indonesian authorities said that monitoring showed no significant sea level changes that could indicate a tsunami.