At least 47 people have died and more than 100 were injured after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Flores island, with rescuers continuing searches through rubble and landslides.
Rescuers continued searching collapsed buildings and landslide debris on Sunday after the powerful earthquake struck the island, forcing thousands from their homes. Authorities focused on areas where people may remain trapped, as landslides cut off several communities across six regencies.
The national disaster management agency said 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighbouring East Manggarai, with further deaths reported in Sikka, Ngada and Ende regencies. Rescuers continued looking for people believed to be trapped beneath landslides triggered by the quake.
The earthquake also hit Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park and one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations. Landslides blocked parts of the Trans-Flores Highway, a roughly 700km road connecting communities across the mountainous island, hampering both rescue efforts and the movement of aid.
The disaster agency said the earthquake destroyed more than 900 homes and damaged nearly 450 others. About 5,000 people have moved into temporary shelters, while thousands more spent the night outdoors, fearing powerful aftershocks. Many residents have continued sleeping outside rather than return to homes damaged by the quake. At least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centres and churches, also suffered damage.
“The shaking was terrifying, so intense that my house nearly collapsed,” said Anastasia Imad, a farmer in Labuan Bajo, speaking from a makeshift tent beside her damaged home.
Relief teams have started distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets and medicine, while authorities are setting up additional emergency shelters for displaced residents across the affected regencies.
— Daily Archives, World Desk