Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in a minimum of 53 fatalities, road blockages, and landslides, as per authorities on Sunday. Over 130 people sustained injuries, many of whom suffered broken bones.
The earthquake on Saturday marked the deadliest in Indonesia since a 2022 quake that 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 homes, seeking shelter under makeshift tarps. Meanwhile, individuals in need of medical attention were receiving care in temporary tents outside a hospital in Maumere.
Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, mentioned that nearly all residents in the area chose to sleep outdoors on porches or under tents due to safety concerns. Responding to the crisis, over 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected region, according to a statement from Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
Worries of aftershocks loomed over residents in Maumere, with nearly 1,000 recorded aftershocks reported by the disaster agency on Sunday. In response, hundreds sought refuge in a designated evacuation center, where residents queued for warm beverages and families improvised cradles for infants using clothing attached to tent frames.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, expressed how the recent quake revived memories of a similar event in 1992. Search and rescue operations, focused on clearing rubble in the most affected areas, were ongoing amidst challenges posed by landslides and aftershocks.
While power restoration efforts were near completion, the repair of distribution lines remained a priority, stated state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara. The East Nusa Tenggara government has declared a provincial emergency, enabling the mobilization of resources and funding, as per BNPB.
Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the earthquake risk in the region due to the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant system of thrust faults. This area had previously experienced a destructive magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992, according to Indonesia’s geophysics agency.
Indonesia, a nation comprising 290 million people across a vast archipelago, sits within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a zone prone to seismic activity from tectonic plate interactions, leading to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.