Rescuers in eastern Indonesia are searching collapsed buildings for survivors after a powerful earthquake killed at least 68 people and injured 100, leaving the nation to mark its Independence Day under the shadow of continuing tremors.
Saturday’s earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara was Indonesia’s deadliest since a 2022 quake in West Java killed hundreds.
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The official death toll climbed to 68 today.
Landslides triggered by the quake blocked roads across the country’s southernmost province, including in the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.
A young patient receives treatment beside a temporary medical tent in Maumere on Flores Island
Thousands of people were evacuated, and many spent the night in tents outdoors, too frightened to return home because of the threat of further aftershocks.
Local media, citing the head of the country’s geophysics agency, reported that nearly 1,600 aftershocks had struck the province by this morning.
The agency recorded another 5.6-magnitude quake in the Nagekeo region, close to the original epicentre, this morning.
By this morning, the number of people unable to go home had risen to 12,800, spread across several towns on Flores island.
The Indonesian Air Force said it was transporting 13 tonnes of emergency aid aboard three planes.
Goats pass a crack in the road in Marapokot, Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara
Helicopters were also being deployed to deliver emergency supplies directly to survivors in communities cut off by the damage.
The shipments included food, clothing, clean water and medical equipment for urgent care.
Military personnel were sent to help distribute the supplies at key hubs.
At a damaged health centre near the quake-hit Ende region, tents and hospital beds filled the car park as 64-year-old farmer Firmus Woge received treatment for asthma. The condition had worsened as panic spread and nearby buildings continued to shake.
Mr Woge said he had struggled to breathe during the night. Although he felt better this morning, the latest aftershocks left him gasping once again. “I felt better last night and this morning but it’s getting worse again after this morning’s quake,” he said.
Buildings partially collapse after powerful Indonesia earthquake
A spokesman for the disaster agency said at least 914 houses on the island had suffered severe damage, while hundreds more had been damaged to a lesser extent.
Dozens of public buildings, including schools, health facilities and government offices, were also affected.
Save the Children said more than 8,000 children faced “safety risks and disruptions to their education” in the aftermath of the quake.
Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a zone of intense seismic activity extending from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Search to continue
Authorities said the search operation would resume today.
Fathur Rahman, head of the rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka, told Reuters that teams would concentrate on aerial surveillance to identify anyone who might still be missing.
Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Mr Fathur said, adding that there had been no reports of missing people and that no obstacles were impeding the search.
Authorities had prepared aircraft to transport supplies including food and tents, the head of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, Suharyanto, said late yesterday.
A man removes debris from a damaged bank building in Ruteng, Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara
Indonesia also plans to establish emergency field hospitals in several locations, deputy health minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said.
Neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons were needed to treat patients with head injuries and broken bones, Mr Benjamin said.
‘I don’t think about that anymore’
In Jakarta, roughly 1,500km west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected to lead celebrations commemorating Indonesia’s independence from Japanese rule in 1945.
Residents who fled an Ende village over fears of tsunamis carried clothing and mattresses to higher ground.
Asked about the Independence Day celebrations, a 42-year-old resident named Gervas said: “I don’t think about that anymore … I just think about the safety of my wife and4-year-old twins.”
