Shallow Tremor Devastates East Nusa Tenggara
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores region early Saturday, killing at least 47 people, collapsing buildings, and triggering landslides that blocked major mountain routes. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the shallow temblor hit at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was located 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Scores Injured and Hundreds of Homes Flattened
The disaster left widespread structural damage across the region. Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, stated that rescuers recovered at least 47 bodies—primarily across the Sikka, Manggarai, and East Manggarai regencies. At least 50 injured residents were transported to hospitals.
The quake flattened at least 157 houses, damaged nearly 200 others, and destroyed more than 100 public facilities, including schools, medical centers, and churches. Roughly 2,000 villagers fled their damaged homes to seek refuge in temporary shelters.
Blocked Roads and Cut-Off Mountain Settlements
Rescue operations faced severe logistical hurdles due to infrastructure failures and terrain challenges. East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko noted that widespread power outages crippled communication networks, delaying damage reports from remote villages.
Quake-triggered landslides in Ende regency severed the Trans-Flores highway, a 700-kilometer paved mountain route connecting Labuan Bajo and Larantuka. Fathur Rahman, head of the Search and Rescue Office in Maumere, warned that the death toll would likely climb because landslides had completely buried or cut off numerous remote settlements across six regencies. A lack of heavy equipment hindered excavation efforts. Authorities deployed three helicopters and a rescue vessel to aid logistics, supply delivery, and evacuations across the island chain.
Mud and Debris Strike Coastal Villages
The seismic event prompted immediate tsunami concerns. Authorities initially issued a warning urging coastal residents to evacuate to higher ground after the meteorological agency detected small tsunamis.
Monitoring stations recorded a 1.61-meter tsunami that blanketed the coastal village of Riung in Ngada regency with mud and debris, stranding fishing boats and flooding homes with sediment. Waves measuring 0.94 meters struck Maurole in Ende regency, while waves exceeding 0.5 meters reached Bulukumba in South Sulawesi and Sape in Bima regency. The meteorological agency subsequently lifted the tsunami warning after determining sea-level changes no longer posed a widespread threat.
Persistent Aftershocks and a Separate Strike in Sumatra
The initial mainshock was followed by intense seismic activity. The meteorological agency recorded at least 235 aftershocks, the largest measuring magnitude 6.2.
In a separate seismic event on Saturday afternoon, the USGS reported a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck North Sumatra province in western Indonesia. Because that second quake occurred at a depth of 172.5 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface, Indonesian authorities confirmed it was too deep to cause significant damage or casualties.
