Powerful Indonesia Quake: Rescuers Search Rubble for Survivors

Rescue teams across Indonesia are racing to locate survivors after Saturday’s major earthquake claimed at least 47 lives. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck off the island of Flores just before 5:00 a.m. local time (22:00 GMT Friday), with a depth of roughly 15 kilometers, according to Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency.

Initial reports suggest hundreds of buildings have been severely damaged by the quake and the wave of aftershocks that followed. The full scale of the destruction remains unclear, and a separate 6.9-magnitude quake at the opposite end of the archipelago serves as a reminder of the region’s position along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Tremors from the powerful quake were felt as far west as Bima Regency and City, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), with Manggarai province emerging as one of the hardest-hit areas. Preliminary figures show 24 fatalities in Manggarai, 17 in East Manggarai province, three in Sikka province, and at least one each in Ngada, Ende, and West Manggarai provinces. At least two people sustained serious injuries, while 11 others suffered minor injuries.

BNPB confirmed that relief supplies are already being dispatched to affected regions, with more than 10,500 aid packages having reached base operations so far.

Assessing the full extent of the damage in this remote, mountainous region is expected to take time. Early reports indicate more than 150 houses, along with several schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, government offices, and other public buildings, sustained severe damage.

Video footage from the port in Maumere — Flores’ largest town — captured large sections of concrete breaking away from a terminal building onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some were thrown into the sea after a ship’s gangway collapsed.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena told a news conference that some victims were killed in their sleep by collapsing debris. Others, like Arnold Welianto of Talibura — a coastal village in Sikka — were jolted awake by the shaking.

Welianto described being startled from sleep and immediately rushing to check on his child. He told the BBC that many residents in the area had fled to higher ground after noticing the sea had receded, a warning sign that triggered widespread alarm before the tremor’s full effects became clear.

This is a developing story, and the death toll is expected to rise further as rescue and relief operations continue.

BBC