An estimated 5,000 individuals were forced to evacuate following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in a death toll of at least 53 individuals and causing road blockages and landslides, as per authorities on Sunday. Over 130 individuals sustained injuries, with many suffering from broken bones.
The earthquake that occurred on Saturday marked the most fatal seismic event in the Southeast Asian nation since a devastating quake in 2022 claimed the lives of hundreds in West Java. The Sikka region reported that more than 3,300 individuals either self-evacuated or sought shelter in a sports arena, as reported by the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
Residents of Sikka found themselves stranded outdoors near collapsed homes, seeking refuge under makeshift tarps. Some individuals received medical treatment in tents set up outside a hospital in Maumere, a port town.
Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, mentioned that almost all residents refrained from staying indoors and opted to sleep on porches or makeshift tents. A deployment of over 3,500 military and police personnel was initiated in the affected region, as stated by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
Concerns regarding aftershocks loomed large among residents in Maumere, where a closed port bore the aftermath of collapsed structures. The disaster agency reported nearly 1,000 aftershocks following the initial quake. In a nearby sports stadium serving as an evacuation center, residents queued up for warm beverages, while mothers ingeniously created makeshift cradles from tent frames for their infants.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, expressed how the earthquake stirred memories of a previous devastating quake in 1992, emphasizing the trauma it evoked among residents. Search and rescue operations focused on clearing rubble in severely affected areas to locate potential survivors trapped underneath debris.
Although power restoration efforts were nearing completion, authorities continued to address issues with distribution lines. An emergency declaration for the province was made by the East Nusa Tenggara government, facilitating the mobilization of essential resources and funding, according to BNPB.
Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati highlighted the seismic vulnerability of the region due to the presence of the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant system of thrust faults running west to east. The affected area had previously experienced a destructive magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992, as confirmed by Indonesia’s geophysics agency.
Indonesia, home to approximately 290 million people, is situated within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic zone where tectonic plates converge, leading to recurrent earthquakes and volcanic activities.