Landslides and damaged roads hamper emergency operations after magnitude 7.7 quake devastates parts of Flores island
MAUMERE, Indonesia — Rescue teams searched through collapsed buildings and debris on Indonesia's Flores island on Saturday after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake killed at least 47 people, with authorities warning the toll could rise as emergency workers struggled to reach communities cut off by landslides and damaged roads.
Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, known as BNPB, said the earthquake caused widespread destruction across East Nusa Tenggara province, damaging homes, schools, health facilities and government buildings.
Around 2,000 people were evacuated from the Nagekeo area, one of the regions closest to the epicentre, while emergency teams worked to reach isolated communities by road and sea, Reuters reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its epicentre about 68 km (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende on Flores island.
USGS measured the quake at a shallow depth of about 10 km, increasing the potential for severe surface shaking.
Some of the worst damage was reported around Maumere and Nagekeo, where rescuers searched the remains of buildings for people feared trapped.
Landslides blocked roads, including sections of the Trans-Flores highway, while power and communications disruptions complicated efforts to determine the full extent of the disaster.
Authorities said emergency workers had yet to fully assess some remote communities, raising fears that casualty figures could increase as access improves.
The earthquake also triggered a tsunami warning across several Indonesian provinces.
Small tsunami waves were recorded before authorities lifted the warning after determining that the immediate threat of a major tsunami had passed. The Associated Press reported that a wave reaching about 1.61 metres was recorded at Riung village.
The main earthquake was followed by intense seismic activity.
More than 235 aftershocks were recorded, including another strong tremor above magnitude 6, keeping residents outside damaged buildings and raising concerns that weakened structures could collapse.
Residents described fleeing their homes as buildings shook violently in the early morning darkness, with many moving toward higher ground after receiving tsunami warnings.
Indonesia's military and national search-and-rescue personnel were deployed to support local emergency services, while temporary shelters were established for displaced families.
The scale of structural damage was still being assessed late Saturday. AP reported that at least 157 homes had collapsed and nearly 200 more were damaged, while more than 100 public facilities, including schools and churches, were destroyed or damaged.
Emergency crews were prioritising searches for people believed trapped under rubble while authorities worked to reopen roads and restore communications.
Flores lies in one of Indonesia's most seismically active regions.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the movement of tectonic plates frequently produces earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Flores experienced one of its deadliest disasters in 1992, when a powerful earthquake and tsunami devastated Maumere and surrounding communities, killing thousands.
Saturday's disaster has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of communities scattered across the mountainous island, where blocked roads can significantly slow rescue operations following major earthquakes.
Authorities urged residents to remain outside unstable buildings and stay alert for further aftershocks while search-and-rescue operations continued.
With some affected communities still difficult to reach, officials said determining the final human and structural toll could take time.