At least 20 people died after an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 and dozens of aftershocks struck off ‌eastern Indonesia on Saturday.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, that tsunami waves of less than 1 metre (3 feet) were recorded in several areas of the Southeast Asian nation after the early morning tremor. The tsunami warning was lifted about three hours after the quake.

Rescuers around the port town of Maumere found 20 dead, six ​injured and two trapped under the rubble, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city's rescue agency. Maumere is the main ​town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island in the east of Indonesia's vast archipelago.

Teams have yet to ⁠reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicentre, and communications signals there had been affected, Fathur told Reuters. Attempts to reach ​Nagekeo by car were blocked by landslides, while another team was attempting to go by ferry, he said.

About 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, ​and damage was reported to a number of houses, warehouses and government facilities, national disaster mitigation agency BNPB said. Authorities also reported traffic congestion and power outages affecting parts of the regency, it said.

The governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, told a press conference at least five ​people died from collapsing rubble as they slept.

The BNPB, which put the quake's toll at one dead and four injured, said it ​was still gathering data.