A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday, resulting in at least 47 fatalities, according to disaster management officials. A second, 6.4-magnitude quake impacted the country’s western Sumatra island later the same day, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Authorities confirmed that dozens more residents sustained injuries and warned that the death toll will almost certainly rise as search and rescue teams navigate difficult terrain. Initially, officials issued a tsunami warning, urging coastal residents to seek higher ground, but the alert was lifted after the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency confirmed no significant sea-level changes.
The U.S. Geological Survey stated the initial quake hit the Flores region at 5:58 a.m. local time, with an epicenter 42 miles north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The meteorological agency reported that the primary tremor was followed by at least 235 aftershocks, the largest reaching a magnitude of 6.2.
Suharyanto, the head of the National Disaster Management Agency, confirmed that rescuers have recovered at least 47 bodies, primarily in the Sikka, Manggarai, and East Manggarai regions, while at least 50 injured people have been transported to hospitals for treatment.
Suharyanto, who uses a single name, noted that the earthquake flattened at least 157 houses and caused damage to nearly 200 others. This widespread destruction forced approximately 2,000 villagers to abandon their homes and seek safety in temporary shelters.
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko reported severe structural damage across the region. He explained that widespread power outages in both cities and villages have significantly hampered the flow of information and complicated ongoing search and rescue efforts. “We are continuing to collect reports of damage and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,” Darmoko stated.
The tremor also destroyed more than 100 public facilities, including schools, medical centers, and churches. Furthermore, landslides triggered by the quake in Ende regency severed the Trans-Flores highway, a 435-mile paved mountain road that serves as a critical artery for the island, stretching from Labuan Bajo to Larantuka.
Residents described the intensity of the event, with Yulian Juita Ekalia, who lives in Ruteng city more than 60 miles west of the epicenter, telling AFP, “I have never felt an earthquake this big.” She added, “It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary. As I rushed to get outside, everything in the house fell down: the television, my son’s trophies, the dish racks, suitcases on top of the wardrobes.”
Fathur Rahman, who heads the Search and Rescue Office in Maumere, warned that the death toll could climb further because landslides have buried or cut off many remote villages across six regencies on Flores Island. Local television footage showed hospital staff evacuating patients and moving equipment, such as beds and oxygen cylinders, outdoors to establish temporary treatment areas.
To assist with logistics, the National Disaster Management Agency deployed a helicopter for emergency response and potential evacuations. This air support is considered vital given the geography of East Nusa Tenggara, which consists of numerous islands that present significant transportation and access challenges for ground crews.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, remains highly prone to seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the “Ring of Fire.” The region has a history of devastating events, including a 1992 earthquake that killed 2,500 people on Flores and the 2004 Sumatra quake that triggered a tsunami killing 230,000 people across a dozen countries.
“It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary,” said the 37-year-old university lecturer.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
Most notably, a powerful earthquake caused a tsunami in 1992 that killed about 2,500 people on Flores, part of a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia, while in 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake spawned a large loc
When I got outside, my son and neighbours were already there, screaming in fear.”
In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
Source: CBS News
