Residents of villages in the eastern region hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
Thousands have been evacuated following the country’s deadliest disaster since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java, with many sheltering in tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks.
The tremor has cast a grim shadow over Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations and residents of East Nusa Tenggara have been jolted by nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of yesterday, local media cited the geophysics agency chief as saying.
The agency reported a 5.6 quake in the region yesterday in the morning.
The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia’s southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.
The official death toll was at 54 as of yesterday, the disaster mitigation agency, known as BNPB, said.
In the parking lot of a damaged health centre littered with tents and hospital beds in a village close to the quake-affected Ende region, Emilianus Oro, a 56-year-old farmer from Ranukolo village, said about 70 mostly female residents lacked clean water, leading children to contract diarrhoea.
He said one older person had a stroke and residents have not received aid.
The search will continue on Monday, authorities said.
Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka’s capital, said yesterday the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing using a helicopter and an extrication device.
Authorities readied planes to deliver aid such as food and tents, BNPB chief Suharyanto said late on Sunday.
The quake damaged around 500 homes, he said.
Indonesia will also build an emergency field hospital in several areas, said Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, the country’s deputy health minister.
Neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons are needed to treat head trauma and broken bones, Benjamin said.
Asked about how he felt about the Independence Day celebrations, one resident, Gervas, 42, said: “I don’t think about that anymore.”
“I just think about the safety of my wife and four-year-old twins,” he said. — Reuters
