Rescuers Battle Landslides to Reach Isolated Villages After Deadly Indonesia Quake

Indonesian search and rescue teams are working against the clock to reach remote communities cut off by landslides following a powerful earthquake that struck the island of Flores on Saturday. The 7.7 magnitude quake, which hit 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, has claimed at least 47 lives and left more than 100 people injured.

Footage from the ground shows rescue agency trucks carefully navigating around large boulders and debris that have blocked key roads in the Manggarai Barat district. In the town of Mbay, personnel were seen unloading essential supplies from trucks and walking through areas of destroyed homes to reach residents sheltering in tents.

The disaster agency reports that the quake, which occurred at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometers off the coast, destroyed more than 900 homes and damaged nearly 450 others. An estimated 5,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters.

Relief workers have begun distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets, and medicine to affected communities. Emergency shelters are also being set up for those who have lost their homes.

Authorities say restoring electricity and communications remains one of the biggest challenges, particularly for isolated villages that can only be reached on foot or by navigating around the landslide debris. The quake rattled much of the island, sending residents fleeing their homes in panic as the ground shook.