A significant earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday morning, resulting in the destruction of buildings and homes, with a reported death toll of at least five individuals. The tremor triggered widespread fear in an area that is frequently affected by severe seismic activity.
In response to the earthquake, officials issued a tsunami alert, advising those living along the coast to seek higher elevations. However, this warning was rescinded later when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency confirmed that there were no notable changes in sea levels that would threaten coastal regions.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the earthquake struck the Flores region of Indonesia at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located approximately 42 miles north-northwest of Ende city in East Nusa Tenggara province. Following the main quake, several aftershocks were recorded.
Rudi Darmoko, the police chief of East Nusa Tenggara, indicated that initial assessments revealed two deaths in Sikka Regency and three in Manggarai Regency, with the earthquake causing extensive structural damage. He noted that power outages across various cities and towns have hindered communication and complicated rescue operations.
“We are actively gathering reports regarding damages and casualties, but communication issues are presenting challenges,” Darmoko stated.
Local television footage depicted the evacuation of patients from multiple hospitals as a precautionary measure post-earthquake. Hospital personnel relocated equipment outdoors, including beds, IV stands, and oxygen tanks, establishing temporary treatment areas to cope with the emergency situation.
Yohanna Embu, a local resident from Sikka Regency, reported that numerous structures were compromised due to the intense shaking, causing many people to flee to higher ground. “Several buildings in the area were damaged… I witnessed the waiting room at the Maumere port terminal collapse,” she shared.
At St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, students attending morning Mass panicked and evacuated when the roof of an assembly hall fell, according to Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, the rector of the seminary, locally known as Ritapiret Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores. “Our students and nuns rushed out in fear as the roof collapsed. One priest sustained a broken leg after jumping from the second floor during the quake,” Tanga recounted.
The earthquake also incited panic in Bima, a city located in the neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province, with reports of damage emerging from some areas of southern Sulawesi island as well.
