Rescuers continued to search through rubble and landslide debris on Sunday in eastern Indonesia, a day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake killed at least 47 people, injured more than 100, and displaced thousands.
The powerful earthquake struck 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) off the coast of Flores island, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Tremors were felt across much of the island and in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara and parts of southern Sulawesi.
At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighboring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada, and Ende regencies, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Rescuers were still searching for villagers feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies.
The disaster agency reported that the quake destroyed over 900 homes and damaged nearly 450 more, prompting approximately 5,000 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters. Thousands more spent the night outdoors due to fears of strong aftershocks. Additionally, at least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centers, and churches, sustained damage.
Relief efforts have begun, with aid such as rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets, and medicine being distributed. Authorities face challenges in restoring electricity and communications, as well as delivering aid to remote villages isolated by landslides. Sections of the Trans-Flores Highway, a major road across the mountainous island, were blocked by landslides.
Indonesia is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, making it prone to such natural disasters. This region has experienced several devastating events, including a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and tsunami off Sumatra in 2004 that killed approximately 230,000 people across a dozen countries, and a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami on Sulawesi in 2018 that resulted in over 4,400 deaths. In 1992, Flores itself was struck by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the island.