A powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake has killed at least 51 people in eastern Indonesia and forced about 5,000 residents to evacuate as landslides blocked roads and hampered rescue operations.
The earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday morning, with 36 people seriously injured and 77 others sustaining minor injuries, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said.
The disaster was followed by about 341 aftershocks, leaving residents afraid to return to damaged homes. More than 3,300 people in Sikka either evacuated themselves or sought shelter in a local sports arena, according to Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, BNPB.
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Rescue teams have been working to reach communities cut off by landslides, including areas around Maumere, where access was initially blocked. Authorities said more than 1,300 homes were damaged, while power outages also forced 20 petrol stations to suspend operations.
More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to support rescue and relief efforts. Emergency teams are searching damaged buildings for survivors and helping evacuate affected communities.
The provincial government is considering declaring a state of emergency, a measure that would allow authorities to mobilise additional resources and funding for the response.
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Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where tectonic plates meet and generate frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The latest disaster is the country’s deadliest earthquake since the devastating 2022 West Java earthquake.
