A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 38 people.

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The quake struck to the north of Flores Island in the eastern part of the country in the early hours of the morning, sparking panic as people fled into the streets amid crumbling buildings.

A tsunami warning was declared but has since been lifted, with Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) saying it was no longer detecting significant sea level rises that could threaten coastal communities.

"Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, two were seriously injured, 11 sustained minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people have evacuated on their own," National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said during a press conference, per AFP.

Nelly Florida Riama, a deputy director for geophysics at BMKG, warned that while the tsunami warning was over, "aftershocks are still occurring."

"We urge the public to remain calm, not to be swayed by irresponsible rumours, and to keep up to date with information from the BMKG’s official channels,” Nelly added.

The BNPB said tremors were reported to have been felt across the regencies of Nagekeo, Sikka, and West Manggarai in the province of East Nusa Tenggara; Bima City and Bima Regency in West Nusa Tenggara; and in the Jeneponto, Selayar Islands, and Maros Regencies in South Sulawesi.