Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck an area in eastern Indonesia, resulting in a minimum of 53 casualties, road blockages, and landslides, as per authorities’ statements on Sunday. Reports indicate over 130 people have sustained injuries, many of which include fractures.
This seismic event on Saturday stands as the deadliest in Indonesia since a devastating quake in 2022 claimed the lives of hundreds in West Java. The Sikka region saw more than 3,300 individuals self-evacuating or seeking refuge in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
Numerous Sikka residents found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, sheltering under makeshift tarps. Some received medical attention in temporary facilities outside a hospital in Maumere, a port town. Abdul Mutas, 63, shared his experience of fleeing to safety with his family, stating, “I only brought my body.” Simon Subandi, deputy regent of Sikka, mentioned that most residents opted to sleep outdoors due to safety concerns.
Responding to the crisis, over 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected region, as confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. The fear of aftershocks looms over the population, with nearly 1,000 aftershocks reported by the disaster agency since the initial quake.
Residents in Maumere, where a port now lies in ruins, expressed anxiety over potential aftershocks. Evacuation efforts led hundreds to seek refuge in a sports stadium, where residents queued for warm beverages. Amidst the chaos, mothers ingeniously fashioned makeshift cradles from clothing to comfort their infants.
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the local disaster mitigation agency, highlighted the emotional impact of the earthquake, drawing parallels to a traumatic event in 1992. Search operations persist in clearing rubble from heavily impacted areas to locate any individuals possibly trapped beneath. While power restoration progresses, efforts to repair distribution lines remain ongoing.
The declaration of a state of emergency for the province by the East Nusa Tenggara government, facilitated by BNPB, allows for the mobilization of crucial resources and funding. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati underscored the seismic vulnerability of the region due to the “Flores back-arc thrust fault.” This area faced a similar catastrophic event in 1992, emphasizing the seismic activity within Indonesia’s geologically active setting along the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
