Around 5,000 individuals were forced to leave their homes following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in the loss of at least 53 lives, obstructing roads, and triggering landslides, as per authorities on Sunday. The quake also left over 130 individuals injured, many of whom suffered from fractures.
This seismic event on Saturday marked the deadliest in the country since a 2022 quake that claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The region of Sikka saw more than 3,300 residents evacuate voluntarily or seek shelter in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
In the aftermath, some Sikka locals found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, seeking refuge under makeshift tarps, while others received medical care in tents outside a hospital in Maumere. Abdul Mutas, 63, recounted fleeing with his family as the quake struck, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs.
Simon Subandi, deputy regent of Sikka, reported that most residents opted to sleep outdoors on porches or in makeshift shelters due to fears of further tremors. The government deployed over 3,500 military and police personnel to assist the affected region, as confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
Concerns about aftershocks loomed large, with nearly 1,000 recorded since the initial quake. Residents in Maumere sought refuge in a sports stadium, where makeshift cradles were fashioned for infants, and children occupied themselves with games.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, expressed how the recent quake evoked memories of the traumatic 1992 earthquake for residents. Search and rescue efforts concentrated on clearing debris in heavily impacted areas to locate any potential survivors.
Although power supply was mostly restored, efforts to repair distribution lines were ongoing. An emergency was declared in East Nusa Tenggara province to facilitate resource mobilization. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the seismic risks in the region due to the Flores back-arc thrust fault system.
The affected area had previously endured a significant quake in 1992, underscoring Indonesia’s vulnerability to seismic activity as part of the geologically active “Pacific Ring of Fire.”