Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, resulting in a minimum of 53 casualties, obstructing transportation routes, and triggering landslides, as per authorities’ statements on Sunday. Over 130 people have sustained injuries, many of whom have suffered fractures.
The earthquake that occurred on Saturday marked the deadliest in Indonesia since a quake in 2022 claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The disaster mitigation agency BNPB reported that more than 3,300 individuals in the Sikka region either self-evacuated or sought refuge in a sports arena.
Several Sikka residents found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, seeking shelter under improvised tarp tents. Meanwhile, others received medical attention in outdoor tents near a hospital in Maumere port town. Abdul Mutas, aged 63, shared his experience of fleeing to safety with only their bodies as the water levels rose due to the quake.
Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, disclosed that most residents opted to sleep outdoors on porches or makeshift tents, hesitant to stay indoors. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya mentioned that over 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected area.
Concerns about aftershocks loom large among residents, particularly in the now-closed Maumere port, strewn with debris from collapsed structures. The disaster agency revealed that nearly 1,000 aftershocks have been recorded post the initial quake. Nearby, a sports stadium has been repurposed as an evacuation site, accommodating hundreds of residents.
The head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, highlighted the haunting memories invoked by the recent quake, reminiscent of the 1992 seismic event. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the worst-hit areas of Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo, with a focus on clearing rubble to locate potential survivors.
While power restoration efforts are nearly complete, authorities are still addressing distribution line repairs, stated the state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara. An emergency has been declared for the province by the East Nusa Tenggara government, enabling the mobilization of essential resources and funding to aid in the recovery process.
Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati underscored the seismic risks faced by the region due to the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant network of thrust faults running west to east. The area affected by the earthquake had previously experienced a magnitude-7.5 quake in 1992, causing widespread devastation, according to Indonesia’s geophysics agency.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with a population of 290 million, sits along the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly active seismic region where tectonic plates converge, resulting in frequent earthquakes and volcanic activities.
