Indonesia quake kills 54 as search continues on Independence Day

Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.

The earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday (15 August), triggering landslides, blocking roads and damaging homes and public infrastructure. It was Indonesia’s deadliest earthquake since a 2022 quake in West Java killed hundreds.

Authorities said thousands of people had been evacuated, with many staying outdoors in tents or makeshift shelters because of fears of further tremors.

Aftershocks hamper rescue efforts

Nearly 1,600 aftershocks were recorded in the province by Monday, local media reported, citing the head of Indonesia’s geophysics agency. A magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck the Nagekeo region near the initial epicentre on Monday morning.

In a village near the quake-hit Ende region, 64-year-old farmer Firmus Woge was being treated for asthma at a damaged health centre surrounded by tents and hospital beds.

“I felt better last night and this morning but it's getting worse again after this morning's quake,” he said.

Search operations continue

Fathur Rahman, head of the search and rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka, said rescuers would use aerial monitoring to look for anyone who might still be missing.

The search would focus on aerial monitoring using a helicopter and an extrication device, Fathur said. There were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search, he added.

More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed to the affected areas. Rescuers have also reached parts of Maumere that were previously cut off by landslides.

Authorities said the earthquake damaged around 500 homes, while Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency later reported that more than 1,300 homes had been damaged. Educational and health facilities, as well as dozens of government offices, were also affected.

The provincial government has declared a 14-day emergency response period running until 28 August, allowing authorities to mobilise additional resources and funding.

Residents shelter outdoors

Many residents in Sikka have been sleeping outside damaged or collapsed homes under makeshift tarpaulin shelters. Others have been receiving medical treatment in tents outside hospitals in the port town of Maumere.

“Almost all of Sikka's residents didn't dare stay indoors, so they slept on a porch or a tent outside,” Simon Subandi, deputy regent of Sikka, told KompasTV.

Residents of an Ende village also fled to higher ground amid fears of a tsunami, taking clothes and mattresses with them.

In Jakarta, about 1,500 km (930 miles) from the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto was expected to preside over Independence Day celebrations on Monday, marking Indonesia’s independence from Japanese rule in 1945.

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Indonesia Sikka Earthquake Natural Disaster Landslides climate change