Indonesia Quake Rescue Intensifies as Nation Marks Independence Day

Rescuers in eastern Indonesia are combing through collapsed buildings on Monday, searching for anyone who may still be trapped after a deadly earthquake killed at least 53 people. The disaster struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday, marking the country's deadliest quake since a 2022 tremor in West Java that claimed hundreds of lives.

The official death toll stood at 53 as of late Sunday. The quake triggered landslides and blocked roads across the province, particularly in the Sikka and Manggarai regions. Thousands have been evacuated, with many sheltering in tents outdoors, too afraid to return home due to the threat of aftershocks.

Nearly 1,600 aftershocks have been recorded in the province as of Monday, according to the geophysics agency. A 5.6-magnitude quake struck the Nagekeo region near the initial epicenter on Monday morning, adding to the anxiety of residents.

In a village near the affected Ende region, 64-year-old farmer Firmus Woge was being treated for asthma in the parking lot of a damaged health center, surrounded by tents and hospital beds. He said the panic from the rattling buildings aggravated his condition. "I felt better last night and this morning but it's getting worse again after this morning's quake," he said, gasping for breath.

Authorities said the search would continue on Monday. Fathur Rahman, chief of the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka's capital, said the operation would focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing, using an extrication device and a helicopter. He added there were no reports of missing people and no challenges hampering the search.

The country's disaster mitigation agency chief, Suharyanto, said planes were ready to deliver aid such as food and tents, and that the quake damaged around 500 homes. Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said an emergency field hospital would be built in several areas, with a need for neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons to treat head trauma and broken bones.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, about 1,500 kilometers west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected to preside over Independence Day celebrations marking Indonesia's freedom from Japanese rule in 1945. But for many in the affected region, the festivities are far from their minds. Residents fleeing an Ende village in fear of tsunamis brought their clothes and mattresses to higher ground. Asked about the Independence Day celebrations, one resident, Gervas, 42, said: "I don't think about that anymore … I just think about the safety of my wife and 4-year-old twins."