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Quake hits Flores
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Flores region in southwestern Indonesia early Saturday, with the U.S. Geological Survey placing the quake at a depth of 10 kilometers and an epicenter about 62 kilometers northwest of Ende, and Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) reported at least 47 fatalities.
“A powerful earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude rocked Flores island”
BNPB said the 47 deaths were in the districts of Manggarai (24), Manggarai Timur (17), Sikka (3), Ngada (1), Ende (1), and Manggarai Barat (1), after BNPB had previously reported 14 dead.
The quake occurred near 6:00 a.m. local time (1:00 a.m. Peninsula Time), and aftershocks ranging from 5.6 to 6.1 magnitude were recorded in the same region.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagnadi said Komodo’s tourist airport was affected but remained operational, while authorities issued a tsunami watch for adjacent coastal areas that was later withdrawn after an assessment.
The Indonesian meteorological agency confirmed, “The early tsunami warning triggered by the earthquake has been declared over,” as rescue teams continued evaluating damage across Flores.
Conflicting death tolls
As the death toll was updated, Global Times reported that the death toll from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake and strong aftershocks rose to five, with governor Melki Laka Lena telling a press conference in Kupang that two victims were killed in Sikka Regency and three in Manggarai Regency.
Global Times later reported a different figure, saying the death toll had risen to 20, with emergency official Fathur Rahman of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office telling a news outlet that 20 people had died, six were injured, and two others remained buried.
In ABC News reporting, the Associated Press said at least 47 people had been killed, and that the earthquakes knocked down some buildings and led hundreds to evacuate amid fears of a tsunami.
ABC News also described how the tsunami warning was issued and later expired, noting that “those warnings later expired, according to the Associated Press,” while residents carried out self-evacuation in Nagekeo Regency.
The ABC account placed the epicenter about 60 kilometers north-northwest of Ende at a depth of about 10 kilometers, and said strong aftershocks included a 6.1 quake and a 5.9 quake also north of Ende, according to the USGS.
Aid, shelters, and aftershocks
In the days after the quake, ABC News said thousands on Flores were still waiting for aid after the earthquake killed at least 54 people, injured 135, and damaged more than 1,300 homes, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone.
“killed at least 54 people, injured 135 and damaged more than 1,300 homes”
The National Disaster Management Agency said about 5,000 people were forced into temporary shelters, and ABC News reported that the province’s governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday.
ABC News also said authorities recorded at least 995 aftershocks, but only 46 were felt by residents, as people camped outside collapsed homes under tarpaulin tents into Monday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese extended “deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” and said there were no indications at this stage that Australians had been affected.
In a separate ABC report, the National Disaster Management Agency chief for disaster prevention Abdul Muhari said, “We need food, drink, medicines, and diapers for the children,” while rescuers continued searching for villagers feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake.
