Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in at least 53 casualties, road blockages, and landslides, as confirmed by authorities on Sunday. Over 130 people sustained injuries, many suffering from fractures.
The earthquake on Saturday marked the deadliest in Indonesia since a quake in 2022 claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The disaster mitigation agency BNPB reported that more than 3,300 people in the Sikka region either self-evacuated or sought refuge in a sports arena.
In the aftermath, some Sikka residents found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, seeking shelter under makeshift tarps. Others received medical attention in tent facilities outside a hospital in Maumere.
Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, revealed that nearly all residents chose not to stay indoors, opting to sleep on porches or makeshift tents. A deployment of over 3,500 military and police personnel has been dispatched to the affected region, as stated by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
The fear of aftershocks loomed large amongst residents, particularly in Maumere, where a port lay in ruins. The disaster agency noted that nearly 1,000 aftershocks had been recorded since the initial quake. Hundreds of individuals sought refuge in a designated evacuation area at a sports stadium.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, expressed how the recent quake evoked memories of a devastating tremor in 1992. Search efforts continue, with a focus on clearing rubble in highly impacted areas to locate potential survivors trapped beneath debris.
While power restoration efforts are near completion, work on repairing distribution lines remains ongoing. The government of East Nusa Tenggara has declared a state of emergency for the province, enabling the mobilization of resources and funding.
Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the earthquake-prone nature of the region due to the presence of the “Flores back-arc thrust fault.” The affected area previously experienced a major earthquake in 1992. Indonesia, a vast archipelago situated in the seismically active “Pacific Ring of Fire,” faces frequent seismic activity and volcanic eruptions.