Indonesia quake survivors on Flores await aid as death toll reaches 54

A powerful earthquake on Flores killed at least 54 people and left thousands waiting for relief. The disaster has deepened humanitarian needs as aftershocks, damaged roads and landslides slow aid deliveries.

In Short

• Nearly 1,300 homes were damaged, with about 250 destroyed across Flores
• Around 5,000 residents shifted to temporary shelters after the strong tremor
• Authorities recorded 995 aftershocks, though only 46 were felt locally

Thousands of people on Indonesia's Flores island were still waiting for aid on Monday, even as the country marked its 81st Independence Day, days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 54 people, injured dozens and damaged hundreds of homes and other buildings. Many residents spent the day mourning those killed, searching for missing loved ones and waiting for help to reach communities that remain cut off.

The earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday and damaged more than 1,300 homes, with nearly 250 of them destroyed on Flores alone, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Around 5,000 people have been moved to temporary shelters and 135 people were injured. The province's governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres shortly before 6 am on Saturday. Residents ran in panic as tsunami warnings were issued and later lifted. Authorities have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks, though only 46 were felt by residents. Thousands of people on Flores spent Sunday night into Monday under tarpaulin tents outside their collapsed homes because they feared more aftershocks.

An Associated Press photojournalist saw extensive damage across the island, including fallen trees blocking roads, giant boulders pushed downhill by landslides and houses shattered or badly damaged. Parked cars were also crushed when buildings collapsed during the quake. For many residents, the disaster brought back memories of the powerful 1992 earthquake and tsunami on Flores that killed about 2,500 people.

In Reo village, the worst-hit area in Manggarai regency, residents said urgent supplies were still needed. "My house is just rubble now," said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader. "We need food, medicine and clean water urgently." More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the disaster zone and 275 tonnes of aid have been sent to the area, but logistical difficulties have slowed deliveries to some badly affected communities. Survivors said that while some relief supplies had arrived, they still lacked equipment to cook food. "We have nothing left ... Why isn't there a public kitchen?" said Mariana Tewu, another villager in Reo.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped belt of seismic faults and volcanoes. In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake triggered a tsunami on Sulawesi island that killed more than 4,400 people. In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including nearly 170,000 in Aceh province alone. The latest earthquake has again left Flores dealing with deaths, destruction and urgent humanitarian needs as thousands remain displaced.

With PTI Inputs

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