At least 51 people have been killed and around 5,000 evacuated after a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Indonesia’s eastern province of East Nusa Tenggara, triggering landslides, damaging homes and blocking roads, authorities said on Sunday.
The earthquake struck on Saturday morning and was followed by around 341 aftershocks. Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said 36 people had suffered serious injuries, while another 77 sustained minor injuries.
More than 3,300 people in Sikka either evacuated on their own or sought shelter at a sports arena, according to Indonesia’s disaster management agency, BNPB. Many residents remained outdoors, fearful that damaged buildings could collapse during further aftershocks.
In Maumere, some patients were treated in tents outside a hospital, while displaced families sheltered beneath makeshift tarpaulins near their damaged homes.
“The tides were rising, so we ran,” 63-year-old Abdul Mutas told Reuters, saying he and his family had spent the night outdoors with few possessions.
Sikka Deputy Regent Simon Subandi said residents across much of the area were too frightened to sleep inside their homes, instead spending the night on porches or in temporary shelters.
Authorities have deployed more than 3,500 military and police personnel to assist with rescue and relief operations. Search teams have also reached parts of Maumere that were initially inaccessible because of landslides.
BNPB said more than 1,300 homes had been damaged. Although no official figure for the missing was immediately available, authorities said people were believed to remain trapped beneath rubble.
The disaster has also disrupted essential services. State energy company Pertamina said 20 petrol stations were out of operation because of power failures.
East Nusa Tenggara authorities are considering declaring a provincial emergency, which would make it easier to mobilise additional funding and resources.
The disaster is Indonesia’s deadliest earthquake since 2022, when a quake in West Java killed hundreds of people.
East Nusa Tenggara was also struck by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992 that caused widespread destruction. Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making the archipelago particularly vulnerable to powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity.