At least 53 people have died and about 5,000 have been displaced after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Flores region, as rescuers continue clearing landslides and searching areas cut off by damaged roads.
The earthquake struck early on Saturday in East Nusa Tenggara province at a depth of about 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. Authorities said 135 people were injured and more than 900 homes were destroyed, with another 450 damaged.
Rescue teams are concentrating on Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo, where landslides and damaged infrastructure have complicated access. Fathur Rahman, head of the search and rescue office in Maumere, said most landslides had been cleared and roads to previously isolated villages reopened, although power cuts and communications problems were still hampering operations.
Authorities have recorded 995 aftershocks since the main earthquake, although only 46 were felt by residents, according to Abdul Muhari of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency. The continuing tremors have kept many residents away from damaged homes and slowed rescue work.
The earthquake caused extensive damage across several districts. Emergency teams have reported collapsed buildings, damaged schools and health facilities, while patients at some hospitals were moved outside as a precaution. In Ruteng, medical treatment has continued in temporary facilities after parts of the local hospital were damaged.
At Maumere’s port, sections of a building collapsed during the earthquake, sending debris into the area as people fled. Residents have since gathered in evacuation centres and temporary shelters, with some sleeping outdoors because of fears that further shaking could bring damaged structures down.
A tsunami warning was issued after the earthquake but was later lifted. Small tsunami waves were recorded in parts of the region, while authorities said monitoring did not indicate a continuing major tsunami threat.
The East Nusa Tenggara government has declared an emergency, allowing authorities to mobilise additional resources. More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed, while relief teams are distributing food, drinking water, blankets and medicine to displaced residents.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone where tectonic plates meet. Flores was struck by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1992 that caused extensive destruction and a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the island.
Rescue operations were continuing on Sunday in the hardest-hit districts as authorities worked to restore communications, clear remaining road blockages and reach communities still affected by the earthquake.
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