Flores Quake Survivors Wait for Aid as Indonesia Marks Independence Day
Thousands on Flores island await aid after a deadly quake killed 54, overshadowing Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations.
As Indonesia observed its 81st Independence Day on Monday, thousands of residents on the island of Flores remained in urgent need of assistance, days after a powerful earthquake claimed at least 54 lives and injured 135 others. The disaster has cast a somber mood over national festivities, with many families spending the day mourning the dead or searching for missing relatives.
The quake, which struck East Nusa Tenggara province early Saturday at a depth of 10 kilometers, triggered brief tsunami warnings that were later lifted. According to the National Disaster Management Agency, more than 1,300 homes were damaged, including nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone. Approximately 5,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters, and the provincial governor has declared a 14-day state of emergency.
Aftershocks continue to rattle the region, with authorities recording at least 995 since the main event, though only 46 have been felt by residents. Many survivors spent the night outdoors under tarpaulin tents, wary of returning to damaged structures. A photojournalist on the island documented fallen trees blocking roads, boulders dislodged by landslides, and vehicles crushed beneath collapsed buildings.
In the village of Reo, the hardest-hit area in Manggarai regency, residents described desperate conditions. "My house is just rubble now," said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader. "We need food, medicine and clean water urgently." Another villager, Mariana Tewu, questioned the lack of a public kitchen, saying, "We have nothing left."
More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to the disaster zone, and 275 tons of aid have been dispatched. However, logistical hurdles have slowed deliveries to remote communities, and survivors report that cooking equipment remains scarce.
The tragedy has revived painful memories of a 1992 earthquake and tsunami on Flores that killed approximately 2,500 people. Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," making it highly susceptible to seismic activity. The 2018 Sulawesi quake and tsunami killed more than 4,400 people, while the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster claimed about 230,000 lives across a dozen countries.