en.malanginspirasi.com – A major magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning, leaving at least 47 people dead, dozens injured, and hundreds of structures damaged across the region.
The shallow tremor occurred at a depth of 15 kilometers, shaking residents awake and triggering widespread destruction across East Nusa Tenggara province before being followed by a separate magnitude 6.9 quake at the opposite end of the archipelago.
Disaster officials (BNPB) report that the province of Manggarai bore the heaviest toll with 24 fatalities, while neighboring East Manggarai recorded 17 deaths, Sikka confirmed three, and single fatalities occurred in Ngada, Ende, and West Manggarai.
East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena stated that most victims were killed in their sleep when their homes caved in. Tremors were felt hundreds of miles away, reaching as far west as Bima Regency and Bali.
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The earthquake damaged more than 150 homes along with dozens of schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, and government offices.
At the port terminal in Maumere, Flores’ largest town, heavy concrete fragments broke off onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry, and several people were knocked into the sea when a boarding gangway collapsed.
Emergency response efforts face steep challenges due to the island’s remote, mountainous terrain and landslide-blocked roads.
Search teams worked through the day to clear debris and free trapped survivors, while the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) dispatched more than 10,500 emergency aid packages to base operations.
In Ruteng, field medical tents were assembled outside local hospitals to treat incoming victims.
Coastal residents briefly evacuated to higher ground after noticing receding seawater, but an initial tsunami warning was lifted three hours later when no significant sea-level rise was detected.
