Indonesia quake kills 51 as landslides cut off communities on Flores

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has left a trail of destruction across eastern Indonesia, killing at least 51 people, injuring more than 100 and forcing thousands from their homes as rescue teams race against time to reach survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings and behind landslide-blocked roads.

The earthquake struck at 5:58 am local time on Saturday, with its epicentre about 68 km north-northwest of Ende on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake struck at a shallow depth of around 10 km, intensifying the violence of the shaking.

More than 341 aftershocks followed, making the disaster one of Indonesia’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years.

Deputy health minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said on Sunday that 36 people suffered serious injuries, while another 77 sustained minor injuries.

Thousands flee as homes collapse

The devastation has forced communities into makeshift shelters, with about 5,000 people evacuated or left unable to return home.

In Sikka regency, one of the worst-hit areas, more than 3,300 people fled their homes or were stranded and sought refuge in a sports arena, according to Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, BNPB.

In the port town of Maumere, the earthquake turned familiar streets into scenes of fear and rubble. Some residents spent the night beneath tarpaulin shelters outside their damaged homes, while injured people were treated in makeshift tents outside a local hospital.

“Almost all of Sikka’s residents didn’t dare stay indoors,” regional deputy chief Simon Sabandi told KompasTV, saying people slept on porches or in tents rather than risk returning inside.

Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura village, described the terrifying force of the tremor, telling Reuters that 13 members of her family were inside their home when the earthquake struck and all ran outside to escape.

Landslides hamper rescue efforts

The earthquake has also unleashed landslides, cutting roads and disrupting communications and leaving some of the hardest-hit areas beyond the immediate reach of rescuers.

BNPB chief lieutenant general Suharyanto said at least 157 houses had been destroyed and nearly 200 others damaged. Around 2,000 villagers in Nagekeo regency, the area closest to the epicentre, have been moved into temporary shelters.

Rescue teams have struggled to reach Nagekeo, where landslides have blocked roads. Fathur Rahman, head of the local search and rescue agency in Maumere, said a team was attempting to reach the area by ferry.

The emergency response has been reinforced with three helicopters and a rescue vessel, while more than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the affected region.

State energy company Pertamina said more than 1,300 homes had been damaged, while 20 petrol stations remained closed because of power outages.

Authorities are considering declaring a state of emergency in East Nusa Tenggara, a move that would unlock additional resources and emergency funding.

Tsunami warning lifted

A tsunami warning issued immediately after the earthquake has since been lifted. Authorities, however, remain on edge as aftershocks could continue for several days and the full scale of the destruction is still emerging.

Residents in parts of northern Flores have been urged to remain cautious and stay away from shorelines and damaged buildings, while rescue crews continue to assess areas that remain inaccessible.

The latest disaster has also revived painful memories of Flores’ seismic past. In December 1992, a similarly powerful earthquake struck the same stretch of coastline and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 2,500 people, according to Indonesia’s geophysics agency.

Indonesia, home to around 290 million people spread across nearly 17,000 islands, sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the planet’s most active seismic zones.

As rescue crews pick their way through shattered buildings and landslide-choked roads, authorities face a race against time to reach isolated communities and determine the true human and material toll of the earthquake.

With IANS inputs