Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in at least 53 fatalities, road blockages, and landslides, as per authorities on Sunday. Over 130 people sustained injuries, many of them with fractures.
The earthquake on Saturday was the most devastating in Indonesia since a 2022 quake that claimed the lives of hundreds in West Java. The Sikka region saw over 3,300 individuals self-evacuating or seeking refuge in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
Residents of Sikka found themselves outside collapsed residences, seeking shelter under makeshift tarps. Abdul Mutas, 63 years old, recounted their escape from rising tides following the quake, stating, “I only brought my body.” Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, revealed that most residents opted to sleep outdoors rather than risk staying indoors.
The region saw a deployment of more than 3,500 military and police personnel to provide assistance. Concerns about aftershocks were prevalent among residents in Maumere, where a port lay closed amidst debris from the disaster. The disaster agency reported nearly 1,000 aftershocks post the earthquake.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with efforts focused on clearing rubble in the worst-hit areas to locate potential survivors. The power supply has been mostly restored, though work continues on repairing distribution lines. An emergency has been declared in the East Nusa Tenggara province, allowing authorities to mobilize resources efficiently.
Indonesia, with its vast population of 290 million people, is situated in the seismically active “Pacific Ring of Fire,” prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to tectonic plate interactions. The area affected by the recent earthquake was previously struck by a significant earthquake in 1992, highlighting the region’s susceptibility to seismic events.