A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 20 people, collapsing buildings and homes, and causing panic in a region prone to deadly seismic activity. Six people were reported injured, and two others remain missing after a landslide triggered by the tremor.
Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning, urging coastal residents to move to higher ground. However, the warning was later lifted by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency after monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threat to coastal communities.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake hit Indonesia's Flores region with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was located 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.
Rescuers have recovered at least 20 bodies from the three devastated regencies of Sikka, West Manggarai, and East Manggarai. Eight of these victims were pulled from a landslide in the village of Reok in Manggarai. Six individuals with severe injuries were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Search efforts are ongoing for two villagers believed to be buried under tons of mud that tumbled down from surrounding hills in a landslide triggered by the earthquake. Communication disruptions due to power outages in affected cities and villages have complicated these rescue operations and the collection of damage reports, according to East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko.
The earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed numerous buildings. Landslides in the Ende regency also blocked the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometer (435-mile) paved mountain road spanning Flores Island from Labuan Bajo to Larantuka.
Footage on local television showed patients at several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution following the quake. Hospital staff moved equipment outdoors, including beds, IV stands, and oxygen cylinders, setting up temporary treatment areas to adapt to emergency conditions.
The National Disaster Management Agency deployed a helicopter to assist with logistics and support emergency response operations, including possible evacuations if needed. This air support is considered crucial given East Nusa Tenggara’s geography, which consists of numerous islands and presents significant transportation and access challenges.
About 2,000 villagers in Nagekeo regency fled their homes to temporary shelters. The tremor was felt across much of Flores island, with initial reports indicating heavy damage. Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka regency, said many buildings were damaged and panicked people ran to higher ground, noting that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed.
At the St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, students attending morning Mass fled in panic when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, said the Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, rector of the seminary. "Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof," Tanga said. "At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the quake."
The quake also reportedly caused panic in Labuan Bajo, a gateway town to eastern Indonesia’s Komodo National Park. Damage was also reported in Bima, a city in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province, and in some parts of southern Sulawesi island.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. The region has a history of devastating seismic events, including a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in 1992 that killed about 2,500 people on Flores. In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake spawned a large localized tsunami that wiped out coastal areas and caused liquefaction in Palu, killing more than 4,400 people. In 2010, a 10-foot (three-meter) wave struck the Mentawai Islands after a massive offshore earthquake, killing over 400 people. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
