Death Toll Rises to 38 After Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Eastern Indonesia
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 38 people and triggering widespread panic across the archipelago. According to Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the disaster left two people seriously injured and 11 with minor injuries as dozens of aftershocks shook the region.
The Epicenter and Immediate Aftermath in Flores Island
Indonesian geophysics agency BMKG recorded the initial tremor at 4:58 a.m. local time at a shallow depth of 15 kilometers (9 miles). The earthquake was centered near Mbay town in Nagekeo Regency on Flores Island. Strong shaking lasted for roughly a minute, driving terrified residents out of their homes and into the streets.
Footage verified by Reuters showed parts of a building at a port in Maumere collapsing into dust and rubble as people screamed and fled. Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura village in East Nusa Tenggara, described the terrifying ordeal to CNBC: “The quake was massive, the shock was so strong, we were resting at home with family. There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves.”
Casualties and Escalating Damage Reports
The human cost of the disaster quickly became clear as local emergency services began piecing together reports from remote districts. Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, noted that five people lost their lives after being crushed by collapsing rubble while they slept, with fatalities confirmed across both Sikka and Manggarai regencies.
Emergency responders faced severe logistical hurdles in the hours following the main shock. Teams struggled to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicenter, where communication signals were severely disrupted. Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency in Maumere, explained that attempts to reach the hardest-hit areas by car were blocked by landslides, forcing rescue coordinators to deploy alternative teams via ferry.
Evacuations, Tsunami Warnings, and Regional Impact
In response to the undersea tremor, authorities issued a tsunami warning as tsunami waves of less than 1 meter (3 feet) were recorded in several coastal areas. The warning was lifted approximately three hours later by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). Meanwhile, approximately 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated to higher ground.
The earthquake’s impact extended far beyond the immediate epicenter, with strong shaking felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and parts of South Sulawesi. Hospitals in districts such as Ende scrambled to move patients outdoors as a safety precaution against potential aftershocks. Infrastructure damage mounted steadily, with reports of blocked roads, power outages, and damaged warehouses and government facilities.
Living Along the Pacific Ring of Fire
Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active zone where different plates on the earth’s crust meet, creating a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes. Saturday’s event brought back memories of past tragedies in the region, most notably a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck the same area in 1992, causing extensive destruction.
As recovery operations continue, international and local authorities maintain a high state of alert for ongoing aftershocks. The Chinese Consulate General in Denpasar issued safety notices urging tourists and citizens in consular districts—particularly around Labuan Bajo—to stay away from coastal areas and monitor official disaster alerts closely. Emergency crews remain deployed across Flores Island as the full scale of the structural and humanitarian crisis is assessed.
