Rescue teams in Indonesia are tirelessly combing the rubble of the 7.7‑magnitude quake that struck Flores just before 5:00 am on Saturday, leaving at least 47 people dead and many more injured.
The Naziki‑timestamped earthquake hit at a depth of 15 km, and preliminary reports show hundreds of buildings collapsed or so‑called “severely damaged”, including schools, hospitals and places of worship across the island.
Penghitung of casualties shows 24 dead in Manggarai, 17 in East Manggarai, three in Sikka, and at least one each in Ngada, Ende and West Manggarai. Two people were seriously injured, while 11 were slightly hurt.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has deployed 10,500 aid packages to affected areas, and rescue crews are still searching for survivors amid fears of additional aftershocks.
In the early hours, a 6.9 seismographic spike was recorded on the other side of the country, underscoring Indonesia’s position in the volatile “Ring of Fire”.
Video footage from the port of Maumere shows concrete slabs falling onto passengers and a gangway collapsing onto the sea, while firefighters help move a patient to an open‑area shelter at a hospital.
Some residents, shaken from bed, have fled into hills as the sea receded, following a temporary tsunami warning that was lifted after three hours.
Rescue teams continue to work day and night, clearing landslide-blocked roads and setting up a temporary medical tent outside a hospital in Ruteng, to treat victims while still monitoring for further quakes.
BNPB advises people to remain calm, stay away from coastal areas and any damaged structures, as the region is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes.
