Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in a death toll of at least 53, road blockages, and landslides, as per authorities’ reports on Sunday. Over 130 people sustained injuries, many of whom suffered broken bones.
The earthquake that occurred on Saturday marked the most fatal event in the Southeast Asian nation since a quake in 2022 claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The Sikka region saw over 3,300 individuals evacuate voluntarily or seek refuge in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
Residents of Sikka found shelter in makeshift tents outside collapsed homes, with some receiving medical care in temporary facilities set up outside a hospital in the port town of Maumere. Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, mentioned that the majority of residents opted to sleep outdoors on porches or in tents due to safety concerns.
In response to the crisis, more than 3,500 military and police personnel were dispatched to the affected area, as confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Concerns about aftershocks lingered among residents, with nearly 1,000 aftershocks recorded by the disaster agency as of Sunday following the initial quake.
Efforts to locate any trapped individuals under debris were ongoing in the hardest-hit areas of Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo, according to Suryaman, a rescue agency official. While power restoration was nearing completion, distribution line repairs were still underway, as reported by state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara on Sunday.
The East Nusa Tenggara government declared a state of emergency for the province, enabling authorities to mobilize resources and funding to aid in the recovery process. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the susceptibility of the region to earthquakes due to the presence of the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant system of west-east thrust faults.
Indonesia, home to a population of 290 million, is situated in the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic region where tectonic plates converge, leading to frequent seismic activities including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
