MAUMERE, Indonesia: A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s eastern coast early Saturday, killing at least 47 people, injuring dozens and leaving a trail of collapsed homes, damaged public buildings and landslides across Flores Island.
The shallow earthquake triggered widespread panic as residents rushed from buildings and moved toward higher ground after authorities issued a tsunami warning for several coastal areas. The warning was later lifted after Indonesia’s meteorological agency reported that monitoring stations had detected no continuing sea-level changes large enough to threaten coastal communities.
Small tsunami waves nevertheless reached several coastal villages. In one of the hardest-hit areas, water carrying mud and debris swept inland, leaving fishing boats stranded and homes surrounded by sediment.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). Its epicenter was located about 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Indonesian disaster officials warned that the number of deaths could increase as rescuers reach isolated communities cut off by landslides and damaged roads. Emergency teams were working across several regencies on Flores Island, where difficult terrain and communication failures were slowing the response.
Landslides and tsunami waves add to the destruction
Indonesia’s meteorological agency said the main earthquake was followed by at least 235 aftershocks. The strongest measured aftershock reached magnitude 6.2, keeping residents on edge and complicating rescue operations in already damaged areas.
Sea-level monitoring stations recorded several smaller tsunami waves along parts of the coast. In Riung village in Ngada regency, officials reported a wave measuring about 1.61 meters (5.3 feet). Images from the area showed thick mud and debris covering sections of the coastal settlement, with boats pushed onto land and infrastructure damaged by the water.
Another wave measuring about 0.94 meters (3.1 feet) was recorded in Maurole in Ende Regency. Waves greater than 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) were also detected in Bulukumba in South Sulawesi and Sape in Bima Regency.
Authorities initially urged people in parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. Once monitoring indicated that there was no continuing major tsunami threat, the warning was canceled.
The earthquake also caused landslides in Ende regency, blocking portions of the Trans-Flores highway. The roughly 700-kilometer (435-mile) paved route is one of the main transportation links across Flores, stretching from Labuan Bajo toward Larantuka.
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said power failures and disrupted communications were making it difficult for authorities to establish the full extent of the destruction.
“We are continuing to collect reports of damage and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,” Darmoko said.
The head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, Suharyanto, said rescuers had recovered at least 47 bodies, with most of the fatalities reported in Sikka, Manggarai and East Manggarai. At least 50 injured people were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Suharyanto said at least 157 houses had been flattened and nearly 200 others damaged. Around 2,000 residents were forced to leave their homes and move into temporary shelters. More than 100 public facilities, including schools, health centers and churches, were also damaged or destroyed.
Fathur Rahman, who leads the Search and Rescue Office in Maumere, said the situation remained particularly difficult in remote parts of Flores. Some villages had been buried or isolated by landslides, while damaged infrastructure and a shortage of heavy machinery were preventing rescuers from reaching some areas quickly.
Authorities deployed three helicopters and a rescue vessel to help move supplies, support search operations and prepare for possible evacuations. The geography of East Nusa Tenggara, which includes numerous islands and mountainous communities, makes emergency access especially challenging.
Later on Saturday, a separate magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck beneath North Sumatra in western Indonesia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred at a depth of about 172.5 kilometers (107 miles), making it much deeper than the Flores earthquake. Indonesian officials said the depth meant it was unlikely to produce major damage or casualties.
Residents flee as buildings collapse
The early-morning earthquake was felt across much of Flores Island, sending residents running into the streets as buildings shook and structures began to collapse.
Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, said people immediately fled toward higher ground after feeling the strong shaking. She said several buildings were damaged and that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed.
The earthquake also struck areas around Labuan Bajo, a major gateway to Indonesia’s Komodo National Park. Damage was reported in Bima, in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province, as well as in parts of southern Sulawesi.
At St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, students and religious staff were attending morning Mass when the earthquake struck. The shaking caused the roof of an assembly hall to collapse, prompting students and nuns to rush outside.
The Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, rector of the seminary, said the students escaped in panic as parts of the building came down. At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor during the shaking, he said.
The disaster was particularly frightening for residents in Flores because the region has experienced deadly earthquakes and tsunamis before. The island lies within one of the world’s most seismically active zones, where powerful earthquakes can occur with little warning.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a vast zone of volcanic and tectonic activity. The country’s location places millions of people at risk from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and tsunamis.
Flores itself has a painful history with such disasters. In 1992, a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the island.
Another devastating earthquake struck Indonesia in 2018, when a magnitude 7.5 quake in Sulawesi generated a destructive localized tsunami. More than 4,400 people were killed in that disaster, while coastal communities suffered extensive destruction.
The country’s worst modern tsunami disaster occurred in December 2004, when a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra generated a massive tsunami across the Indian Ocean. About 230,000 people were killed in Indonesia and other countries around the region.
For Flores residents, Saturday’s earthquake brought those memories back as families waited for information about relatives and emergency crews worked through damaged communities.
Authorities said rescue and assessment operations would continue as aftershocks persisted. Officials also urged residents whose homes had been damaged to remain in safer temporary locations until structures could be inspected.
With roads blocked by landslides, communications disrupted and some villages difficult to reach, emergency officials cautioned that the full scale of the disaster may not become clear immediately. Rescue teams were expected to continue searching isolated areas for survivors while aid was moved by helicopter and sea to communities cut off from normal transportation.