Indonesia Quake Kills 53, Thousands Evacuated as Aftershocks Hinder Rescue

A powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday has killed at least 53 people and injured more than 130, many with broken bones, according to authorities. The quake, the nation's deadliest since a 2022 tremor in West Java, has forced around 5,000 people to evacuate, with many seeking shelter in a sports arena in the Sikka region.

Rescue teams are facing significant challenges as nearly a thousand aftershocks have been recorded since the initial quake, and landslides have blocked roads and impeded access to the most affected areas. A rescue agency official, Suryaman, stated that the priority is clearing rubble in the Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo regions to find any people who may still be trapped. No missing person reports have been received, but the ongoing aftershocks and landslides are slowing the search.

At a closed port in Maumere, littered with debris from a collapsed roof and walls, residents expressed fear of further tremors. Hundreds have filled a local sports stadium designated as an evacuation point, where makeshift cradles for babies were created from clothing hooked to tent frames. Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region's disaster mitigation agency, said the quake brought back trauma from a similar event in 1992.

More than 3,500 military and police officers have been deployed to the region to assist with relief and rescue operations. Power supply has been nearly fully restored, though authorities are still working on fixing distribution lines. The East Nusa Tenggara government has declared an emergency for the province, allowing authorities to mobilise resources and funding.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 290 million people, straddles the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates meet, triggering frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati noted the region is at risk due to the "Flores back-arc thrust fault," a major system of west-east thrust faults. The area was also hit by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992 that caused extensive destruction.