Thousands displaced by deadly Indonesia earthquake as rescue efforts continue

Around 5,000 people have been displaced by a powerful earthquake in Indonesia that has caused at least 53 fatalities.

Rescuers continue to search for survivors of the shallow magnitude 7.7 quake, which struck the island of Flores shortly before 05:00 local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday).

Preliminary reports indicate more than 900 homes and hundreds of other buildings have been severely damaged by the tremor and 341 subsequent aftershocks, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.

The full scale of the disaster is still being uncovered, with news of a second magnitude 6.9 earthquake elsewhere in Indonesia serving as a reminder of why this region is called the ring of fire.

The initial earthquake, which occurred just 15km below the surface, was the south-east Asian nation’s deadliest since 2022, when hundreds of people were killed in West Java.

Tremors were reportedly felt by residents as far west as Bima, the BNPB said, but the Manggarai province was among the most affected.

Abdul Muhari, deputy for the BNPB, confirmed 25 deaths had been recorded there, as well as 20 fatalities in East Manggarai province, four in Sikka province, two in Ende and at least one person in both the Nagekeo and West Manggarai provinces.

A total of 3,356 people had been displaced in Sikka, with a further 2,078 evacuated in Manggarai, the agency said.

Thirty-six people were seriously injured in East Nusa Tenggara province, while 77 suffered minor injuries, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said.

It will take time to assess the full extent of the destruction in the region, which is remote and mountainous.

However, early reports indicate that, in addition to damaged homes, dozens of schools, healthcare facilities and government offices had also been severely damaged.

Ruteng Regional Hospital in Manggarai was among them. Images show operating theatre and clinic ceilings caved in, requiring patients to be treated in tents.

“We heard that medical assistance would be provided, but nothing has arrived yet,” hospital spokesperson Rista Mari told BBC Indonesian. “We hope that assistance will arrive soon.”

The BNPB said “meeting basic needs and providing logistics for evacuees has become one of the top priorities of the emergency response”, adding it had dispatched tonnes of emergency supplies to Manggarai.

Video taken at the port in Maumere – the largest town in Flores – showed large chunks of concrete breaking off the terminal building onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some were thrown into the sea when the gangway to a ship collapsed.

Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, told a news conference that several of the victims had been killed in their sleep by collapsing rubble.

Others, like Arnold Welianto, who lives in Talibura, a village near the coastline in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, were shaken out of their beds.

“I was startled awake and immediately went to my child’s room,” he said.

He also told the BBC that many people had already fled into the hills because the sea had also receded.

The earthquake struck around 600 miles (1,000km) away from Bali

While a tsunami warning was initially issued – leading some 2,000 people to self-evacuate – it was lifted around three hours after the initial jolt, when no significant sea level rise was detected.

Landslides, however, did block access to some villages but the experienced rescue teams worked tirelessly through the day to free those trapped under the rubble.

In Ruteng, a temporary medical tent was also assembled outside of a hospital to treat earthquake victims.

The ongoing advice from BNPB is for people to remain calm and to stay away from coastal areas and structures showing signs of damage.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity, lying along the meeting point of three major tectonic plates.