Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in a minimum of 53 casualties, road blockages, and landslides, as per authorities’ reports on Sunday. Over 130 individuals sustained injuries, many of them with fractures.
The earthquake on Saturday marked the most deadly incident in the Southeast Asian nation since a quake in 2022 claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) stated that more than 3,300 individuals in the Sikka region either self-evacuated or sought refuge in a sports arena.
In Sikka, some residents found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, taking shelter under makeshift tarps. Others received medical attention in tents set up outside a hospital in Maumere. Abdul Mutas, 63, shared his experience of fleeing with his family to higher ground as the tides rose during the quake.
Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, mentioned that nearly all residents avoided staying indoors, opting to sleep on porches or under tents outside. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that over 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected region.
Residents in Maumere expressed fear of aftershocks, with the disaster agency reporting nearly 1,000 aftershocks post the initial quake. Hundreds sought refuge in a sports stadium designated as an evacuation center. As the sun set, residents queued up for warm beverages, while mothers ingeniously fashioned makeshift cradles for their babies using pieces of clothing attached to tent frames.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, acknowledged the rekindled trauma among residents reminiscent of the 1992 quake. Search and rescue efforts focused on clearing rubble in severely impacted areas to locate any potential survivors.
Although power supply has been largely restored, efforts continue to repair distribution lines. The East Nusa Tenggara government declared a provincial emergency, enabling the mobilization of essential resources and funding. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the seismic risks in the region due to the Flores back-arc thrust fault system.
Indonesia, a nation of 290 million people spread across an archipelago, sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a volatile zone prone to earthquakes and volcanic activities where tectonic plates intersect.
