Jakarta (Indonesia): A massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 38 people, injuring several others, and triggering widespread panic across coastal communities. The tremor briefly prompted a tsunami warning from disaster authorities before being withdrawn after monitoring confirmed no significant changes in sea levels.
The earthquake struck the Flores region in East Nusa Tenggara province, with its epicentre situated approximately 68 kilometres north-northwest of Ende city. The intense tremors caused severe structural damage, collapsing residential buildings and prompting emergency evacuations across regional medical facilities, where hospital staff moved patients and critical medical equipment outdoors to establish temporary care centres.
In addition to structural collapses, the quake triggered landslides in Ende regency that severed sections of the Trans-Flores Highway, a vital 700-kilometre transit corridor across Flores Island. Search and rescue personnel were deployed across the region to locate trapped residents, while extensive power and telecommunications outages have hampered disaster response coordination in remote areas.
Around 2,000 residents across neighbouring districts have evacuated their homes to seek refuge in temporary shelters. The Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency has mobilized helicopters and emergency relief teams to deliver aid, conduct aerial assessments, and assist with logistics across the island province as aftershocks continue to shake the area.
