The grim statistics after the devastating earthquake in Indonesia continue to grow, with the official death toll exceeding 40 people and reaching at least 47 victims.
Rescue teams in the province of East Nusa Tenggara are fighting a 24-hour battle against time amid continuous aftershocks. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) warned that the death toll and injuries could rise further as communication with many remote areas was completely cut off.
Devastating first quake near Flores Island
We recall that a powerful earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck early Saturday morning off the coast of the Indonesian island of Flores. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was recorded at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers in the sea, about 68 kilometers northwest of the city of Ende.
Due to the shallow depth, the quake was felt extremely strongly for almost a minute. Provincial Governor Emmanuel Melquiades Laka Lena said most of the victims died in their sleep, buried by collapsed roofs and walls of their homes. The worst-hit regions were Mangalore and East Mangalore, where 24 and 17 deaths were reported, respectively.
Tsunami waves and mass evacuations
Immediately after the first strong tremor, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning. Waves up to 1.61 meters high reached coastal villages, leaving behind tons of mud and flooded infrastructure. In Nagekeo district, more than 2,000 people evacuated themselves to higher ground. The tsunami warning was lifted a few hours later after the devices failed to detect a subsequent critical rise in sea level.
More than 235 aftershocks, the strongest of which reached a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, caused further panic. Patients from local hospitals were urgently evacuated to the open air, and in Maumere, the port terminal building partially collapsed.
Seismic nightmare: Second powerful quake shakes Sumatra
While eastern Indonesia was dealing with the consequences of the disaster, a few hours later a second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck the island of Sumatra, thousands of kilometers away. Its epicenter was located near the city of Pematangsiantar at a depth of 172.5 kilometers. Due to the enormous depth, Indonesian authorities have reassured that this second quake has not caused any new casualties or serious material damage.
Official reports from the authorities indicate serious destruction in the affected areas:
- 346 damaged houses, of which 157 were completely destroyed.
- 87 educational institutions and schools with material damage.
- 18 health facilities and dozens of administrative buildings with cracks.
The Indonesian archipelago, consisting of more than 17,000 islands, is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire - the most seismically active zone in the world, where tectonic plates constantly collide. The current disaster has awakened dark memories of December 1992, when a similar 7.5 magnitude earthquake in the same region triggered a huge tsunami and claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people.