A powerful earthquake struck off the north coast of Flores island in eastern Indonesia in the early morning hours, killing at least 20 people and sending thousands fleeing for higher ground. Rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP that those fatalities were confirmed across four towns and that six people were injured and two remained buried under rubble.
The shallow quake, measured at magnitude 7.7, had its epicentre about 68 kilometres northwest of the coastal town of Ende, US and Indonesian authorities said. Rescuers were combing debris in hard hit areas including Nagekeo, Maumere and Labuan Bajo. Fathur, traveling by boat to Nagekeo, said rescuers were prioritising "locating the victims who are buried under the rubble".
Landslides blocked several roads and complicated access to affected communities, the rescue official said. Two people were reported trapped alive under rubble in neighbouring Manggarai regency. Video released by the rescue agency showed two people evacuated alive from debris and one person recovered deceased, the agency said.
Residents recounted panic as the ground shook. Yohanes Babo of Nagekeo told AFP he was at a market when the shaking began and that people ran toward the hills. Photographs showed a partly collapsed Jayakarta hotel in Labuan Bajo and damaged buildings in Maumere. Dozens of aftershocks were felt, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.1, according to reports.
Impact Response And Historical Context
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG, initially issued a tsunami warning and urged people to move to higher ground after observing the sea briefly retreat. BMKG earthquake and tsunami director Wijayanto said the tsunami warning was lifted but that authorities would continue to monitor sea levels and warn residents against returning to damaged buildings because aftershocks could bring them down.
Long queues of evacuees moved on foot, by motorbike and in vehicles. Hospitals and other public buildings reported structural cracks and patients fled amid the tremors, according to local accounts. Rescue teams, hampered by blocked roads, shifted focus to search and rescue for those believed trapped beneath collapsed structures.
The quake revived memories of past deadly Indonesian temblors. As reported, Flores was struck by a 7.7-magnitude quake in 1992 that triggered a tsunami and caused about 2,500 deaths. The country has also endured major disasters such as the 2004 Sumatra sea quake and tsunami and large quakes in Lombok and Palu in 2018, underscoring the region's exposure to seismic risk along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Authorities were still assessing the full extent of damage and casualties as rescue operations continued and sea levels remained under close observation, officials and local reports said.
