Around 5,000 individuals were forced to leave their homes following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 53 lives, infrastructure destruction, road blockages, and landslides, as confirmed by authorities on Sunday. Over 130 people sustained various injuries, with many suffering from fractures.
The seismic event on Saturday stands as the deadliest in Indonesia since 2022 when a devastating quake in West Java claimed the lives of hundreds. The Sikka region witnessed over 3,300 individuals self-evacuating or seeking shelter in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB. Among the affected, some residents of Sikka found themselves stranded near collapsed residences, seeking refuge under makeshift tarps, while others received medical attention in tents outside a hospital in Maumere.
Describing the chaotic situation, Abdul Mutas, 63, recounted fleeing with his family as the quake struck: “I only brought my body. The tides were rising, so we ran.” Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, highlighted that the majority of Sikka’s inhabitants opted to sleep outdoors on verandas or under temporary shelters.
To aid in the crisis, more than 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected region, as announced by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Concerns of potential aftershocks loom large among residents, with nearly 1,000 recorded aftershocks reported by the disaster agency by Sunday.
Efforts to locate any individuals possibly trapped under debris in severely impacted areas like Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo remain a top priority for rescue agencies. Despite the restoration of power supply to almost full capacity, repair work on distribution lines is still ongoing, according to state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, the government of East Nusa Tenggara has declared a state of emergency for the province, enabling the mobilization of resources and funding by authorities. Experts, such as geologist Dwikorita Karnawati, have pointed out the region’s vulnerability to earthquakes due to the presence of the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant system of thrust faults running west to east.
The recent earthquake struck an area previously hit by a magnitude-7.5 quake in 1992, causing widespread devastation, as noted by Indonesia’s geophysics agency. Indonesia, with its vast population of 290 million people, sits within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic zone where tectonic plates converge, resulting in frequent seismic activities and volcanic eruptions.