Rescue teams in Indonesia are searching for survivors after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the island of Flores, killing at least 47 people and damaging hundreds of buildings, according to officials.
Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency said the earthquake struck shortly before 05:00 local time on Saturday, or 22:00 GMT on Friday, at a depth of 15km. The full scale of the disaster has not yet been established, with authorities carrying out a rapid assessment in the remote, mountainous region.
The National Disaster Management Agency, known as BNPB, said preliminary reports showed that more than 900 homes and hundreds of other buildings had been severely damaged by the earthquake and 341 aftershocks. Early information also indicated that more than 150 houses, dozens of schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, offices and other public buildings had sustained severe damage.
Deaths and displacement
BNPB preliminary data recorded 24 deaths in Manggarai province, 17 in East Manggarai, and three in Sikka. At least one death was reported in each of Ngada, Ende and West Manggarai provinces. Two people were reported seriously injured and 11 others slightly injured.
Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, the governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, said some victims were killed while asleep when rubble collapsed. In Talibura, a coastal village in Sikka, resident Arnold Welianto said he was awakened by the tremor and went immediately to his child’s room. He said many residents had headed into the hills after the sea receded.
A tsunami warning was issued after the initial earthquake, prompting about 2,000 people to evacuate on their own. Authorities lifted the warning around three hours later after detecting no significant rise in sea level. BNPB has advised residents to remain calm and avoid coastal areas as well as structures that show signs of damage.
Landslides blocked access to some villages, while rescue workers continued efforts to free people trapped beneath debris. A temporary medical tent was set up outside a hospital in Ruteng to treat victims. Footage from the port in Maumere, Flores’ largest town, showed concrete falling from a terminal building as passengers waited for an inter-island ferry; some people fell into the sea after a gangway collapsed.
More than 5,000 people remained in evacuation shelters, BNPB said, while 10,500 aid packages had been dispatched to affected areas. The agency said providing essential supplies and logistical support for evacuees was among the main priorities of the emergency response.
Indonesia lies at the meeting point of three major tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. A separate magnitude 6.9 earthquake elsewhere in Indonesia underscored the continuing seismic risk in the region.
Source: BBC News
