Thousands Displaced as Rescuers Search for Survivors Following Indonesia Quake

At least 53 people have been killed and around 5,000 displaced after a powerful shallow earthquake struck the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning.

The magnitude 7.7 quake, which occurred at a depth of just 15 kilometres, hit shortly before 05:00 local time (22:00 GMT Friday). It is the country’s deadliest seismic event since 2022, when an earthquake in West Java claimed hundreds of lives.

Widespread Destruction Across East Nusa Tenggara

Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that more than 900 homes and hundreds of public facilities have been severely damaged, compounded by at least 341 aftershocks.

Disaster officials confirmed fatalities and displacements across several provinces in East Nusa Tenggara:

• Manggarai: 25 deaths recorded; 2,078 people evacuated.
• East Manggarai: 20 deaths.
• Sikka: 4 deaths; 3,356 people displaced.
• Ende: 2 deaths.
• Nagekeo and West Manggarai: At least 1 death reported in each province.

Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus confirmed that 36 people sustained severe injuries, while 77 others received treatment for minor wounds.

Hospitals Damaged as Relief Efforts Begin

The disaster has heavily impacted local infrastructure across the remote, mountainous region. Dozens of schools, government buildings, and healthcare centers have suffered structural failure.

At Ruteng Regional Hospital in Manggarai, collapsed clinic and operating theatre ceilings forced medical staff to establish makeshift treatment tents outdoors to care for incoming patients.

Emergency supply shipments containing tents, food, and medical logistics have been dispatched to Manggarai and Sikka. However, local officials warned that reaching isolated rural communities will take time as rescue teams navigate damaged roads and terrain.

Complicating the regional security situation, a separate magnitude 6.9 earthquake was recorded elsewhere in the Indonesian archipelago shortly after the Flores tremor, underlining the ongoing seismic risks across the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”