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Quake, birth, and power loss
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck eastern Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara on Saturday, and Maria Florida Nogo Kelen, 39, gave birth by emergency caesarean section as the hospital shook and power failed.
“Maria Florida Nogo Kelen, 39, was two months from her due date when Saturday's magnitude-7.7 quake struck East Nusa Tenggara”
Doctors worked under torchlight while aftershocks continued, and Kelen said, "During the surgery, I was not afraid," adding, "I had to be healthy for my kids."
Her obstetrician, Yona Sara Pardede, said the medical team faced a fatal risk if they delayed, warning, "As humans we were afraid."
The quake killed at least 68 people, injured 135, and damaged more than 1,300 homes across the province, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores.
Kelen’s baby girl, named Gempita, was born weighing 1.3kg during the aftershocks and remained stable in an incubator set up on a patch of grass inside a tent in Nagekeo.
Aftershocks, aid, and shelter
Rescuers searched on Monday for people feared trapped under rubble, while medical staff treated the injured in tents outside as hundreds of hospitals and homes were damaged.
Residents sheltering in evacuation tents said they needed clean water and food, and most were afraid to go home because of the aftershocks.
The Independent reported that at least 995 aftershocks had been recorded since Saturday, though only 46 had been felt, and a magnitude-5.9 tremor struck on Monday as Indonesia marked its 81st Independence Day.
The earthquake struck shortly before 6am on Saturday at a depth of 10km, with its epicentre about 68km north-west of Ende on the south coast of Flores, according to the US Geological Survey.
Tsunami warnings were issued and later lifted when no significant change in sea levels was detected, while the provincial governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday.
What’s at stake next
Kelen suffered a haemorrhage after the birth but survived, and she said, "I was very grateful for the doctors, even when the room had collapsed, they did not abandon us."
“"I was very grateful for the doctors, even when the room had collapsed, they did not abandon us," she said.”
The baby remained stable in an incubator set up on a patch of grass inside a tent in Nagekeo, while Kelen said she and her family had "We don't even have a ventilator."
The Independent said about 5,000 people were in temporary shelters, and it described aid being flown in as rescuers continued searching.
The Times of India reported the earthquake caused widespread damage across the province, with medical teams treating patients in tents outside damaged hospitals.
With the death toll at least 68 and injuries at 135, the next phase in the sources centers on continued rescue efforts and care in tents as aftershocks persist.