The 7.7 magnitude earthquake in eastern Indonesia has killed 53 people so far. Rescue teams recovered six more bodies on Sunday, a day after the quake. Thousands of homeless people spent the night outside fearing aftershocks. The earthquake caused a landslide on the Catholic island of Flores. Rescue teams searched for people trapped in the debris in six areas, with a special focus on Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nageko, as they were difficult to reach.
“We have cleared most of the landslides and reopened roads to previously isolated villages, although communication disruptions and power outages are hampering search efforts,” said Fatur Rahman, head of the search and rescue office in Maumere, capital of Sikka regency. More than 900 homes were destroyed and more than 450 damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province, forcing nearly 5,000 people to live in makeshift shelters.
Abdul Muhari, head of disaster prevention at the National Disaster Management Agency, said at least 241 homes were damaged in the Flores area alone. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 6 a.m. local time on Saturday. People fled in panic when a tsunami warning was issued and later withdrawn. Muhari said officials have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks, but only 46 were felt, and 135 people were injured.
Many people spent the night outside in Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park, one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations, due to aftershocks. “The earthquakes were terrible, so strong that my house almost collapsed,” said farmer Anastasia Imad from a makeshift tent near her broken home. “We were afraid the earthquake would topple buildings on us while we were sleeping.” Landslides blocked parts of the Trans-Flores highway, a nearly 700-kilometer road that connects communities on the mountainous island.