A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least 53 people and injuring more than 130, many with broken bones. The disaster forced the evacuation of around 5,000 residents and caused significant damage including blocked roads and landslides.
More than 3,300 individuals from the Sikka region either fled their homes or sought refuge in a local sports stadium, which has been designated as an evacuation center. Rescue operations have faced challenges due to ongoing aftershocks, debris-blocked routes, and landslides, complicating efforts to assess the full extent of the destruction.
Some survivors remain stranded outside collapsed houses, taking shelter under makeshift tarpaulin tents, while others receive medical care in temporary hospital tents. The quake marks Indonesia’s deadliest since the 2022 West Java earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.
Indonesia, home to approximately 290 million people, lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone where tectonic plates converge, frequently triggering earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
At the now-closed port in Maumere, debris from collapsed roofs and walls litters the area, with residents expressing fear of further aftershocks. Nearly a thousand aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake, intensifying anxiety among the affected population.
Nearby, hundreds of evacuees gathered at the sports stadium, where they queued for warm drinks as the sun set. Mothers fashioned makeshift cradles for their infants from clothing hung on tent frames, while children played soccer outside, attempting to find moments of normalcy amid the crisis.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the regional disaster mitigation agency, noted that the recent quake revived traumatic memories of a similar event in 1992. Aid supplies, including food and tents, have been arriving steadily to support relief efforts.
Rescue official Suryaman emphasized the priority of clearing rubble in the hardest-hit areas of Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo to locate any individuals trapped beneath debris. Although no missing persons have been officially reported, landslides and aftershocks continue to hinder search operations.
Over 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to assist in the response, as confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Power supply has been nearly fully restored, though work continues to repair distribution lines, the state utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara.
In a significant development, the East Nusa Tenggara provincial government declared a state of emergency, enabling authorities to mobilize additional resources and funding for disaster management. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the region’s vulnerability due to the Flores back-arc thrust fault, a major west-east fault system responsible for seismic activity.
Notably, this area was previously struck by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992, which caused widespread devastation, underscoring the ongoing seismic risks faced by the region.
