Earthquake in Indonesia Claims 53 Lives and Displaces Thousands

Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia retrieved six more bodies on Sunday, following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that occurred the previous day. This rise brought the death toll to 53. Thousands of displaced individuals spent the night outside, fearing aftershocks.

Rescuers combed through the rubble, searching for people trapped under landslides triggered by the earthquake across six regencies on Flores, an island predominantly Catholic in a majority Muslim nation. Their primary focus was on the hardest-hit areas—Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo—where access remains difficult.

“We have cleared most landslides and reopened roads to isolated villages; however, communication disruptions and power outages still hinder search efforts,” stated Fathur Rahman, head of the search-and-rescue office in Maumere, Sikka regency’s capital.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, more than 900 homes were destroyed, and 450 were damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province. Approximately 5,000 people are in temporary shelters. In the Flores region alone, around 241 homes have been damaged, reported Abdul Muhari, the agency’s chief for disaster prevention.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) shortly before 6 a.m. on Saturday, as per the U.S. Geological Survey. Panic ensued among residents as tsunami warnings were issued and later canceled. At least 995 aftershocks have been recorded, of which 46 were felt by residents. This has resulted in 135 injuries, according to Muhari.

Residents in Labuan Bajo, near Komodo National Park, one of Indonesia’s top tourist attractions, spent the night outdoors due to aftershocks. “The shaking was terrifying, so intense that my house nearly collapsed,” said Anastasia Imad, a farmer living next to her damaged home under a green tent. “We feared aftershocks could bring it down on us while sleeping.”

Landslides blocked portions of the Trans-Flores Highway, a 700-kilometer (435-mile) road connecting communities across the mountainous island. Relief workers have been distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets, and medicine. Emergency shelters have been prepared for those displaced. Addressing electricity and communications restoration and delivering aid to remote areas remain significant challenges.

Indonesia’s location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” makes it susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Flores has endured some of the nation’s deadliest disasters. A severe earthquake and tsunami in 1992 killed about 2,500 on the island. In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake caused a tsunami on Sulawesi, resulting in over 4,400 deaths. A magnitude 9.1 quake off Sumatra in 2004 led to a tsunami that claimed approximately 230,000 lives in multiple countries.

The Associated Press journalists Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan contributed to this report. Trusted journalism is vital for a healthy democracy. Supporting free press fosters civil dialogue.