At Least 47 Killed in Indonesia After Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake

At least 47 people were killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and dozens of aftershocks struck off eastern Indonesia on Saturday, according to the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Rescue teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicenter, after landslides blocked roads and disrupted communications, officials said.

“The quake was massive, the shock was so strong,” said Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura in East Nusa Tenggara. She said 13 people were inside her home when the earthquake struck and everyone ran outside to escape.

Tsunami waves measuring less than one meter were recorded in several parts of Indonesia following the early-morning earthquake. Authorities lifted the tsunami warning about three hours later.

In the port town of Maumere, rescuers found 20 bodies, six injured people and two people trapped under rubble, according to Fathur Rahman, head of the local rescue agency. Maumere is the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island.

BNPB chief Suharyanto said residents remained trapped in several buildings in the affected areas, while landslides blocked a number of roads.

Rescue teams were unable to reach Nagekeo because of the landslides, while mobile communications in the area were also disrupted. One rescue team attempted to reach the region by road, while another tried to travel by ferry.

Around 2,000 residents in Nagekeo were evacuated. Damage was reported to homes, warehouses and government buildings, while power outages and traffic congestion were also reported.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said at least five people were killed when buildings collapsed while they were sleeping.

Preliminary data from BNPB showed that 157 homes were heavily damaged, 41 suffered moderate damage and 148 sustained light damage. Damage was also reported at 87 schools, 18 health facilities, five places of worship and six office buildings, along with other infrastructure.

Video footage verified by Reuters showed part of a building collapsing into dust and rubble as people screamed and ran through the streets near the port in Maumere.

Rescuers were searching through the remains of a partially collapsed port building for survivors.

Siti Sulfia Bira, 37, who lives with her family near the port, said she rushed to higher ground when the earthquake began.

“At the moment we don’t dare to go home just yet because the situation isn’t stable, we still worry that there might be more tremors coming,” she told Reuters.

Strong shaking was reported across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi. Residents in several areas said the tremors lasted for about a minute.

“Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes,” BNPB said.

At a hospital in Ende district, patients were moved outside as a precaution, according to television footage. At least one landslide was also reported in the area.

Indonesia’s geophysics agency BMKG recorded the earthquake at 4:58 a.m. local time at a depth of 15 kilometers. Several aftershocks followed.

BMKG said the same region was struck by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1992 that caused widespread destruction.

Australia’s tsunami warning center said the undersea earthquake posed no tsunami threat to mainland Australia, its islands or territories.

Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most seismically active regions, where tectonic plates meet and generate frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake followed by a tsunami struck Palu on Sulawesi island, killing more than 4,000 people.