A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake off eastern Indonesia has left at least 47 people dead, with dozens of aftershocks rippling through the region and rescuers still struggling to reach some of the worst-hit areas, according to the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Emergency officials said landslides have cut off key routes and disrupted communications, delaying access to Nagekeo, the regency closest to the epicentre.
“The quake was massive, the shock was so strong,” a 51-year-old resident of Talibura, a village in East Nusa Tenggara said.
“There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves.”
Authorities said two helicopters and a plane were being prepared to bolster search-and-rescue efforts.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union was ready to assist using Copernicus, the bloc’s Earth observation satellites.
“Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we stand with you,” she wrote on X.
Terrible news from Indonesia today.
My thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones in this devastating earthquake.
From solidarity to action, Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts.
Indonesia, we stand…
In the hours after the early-morning quake, tsunami waves of less than 1 metre were measured in several parts of the Southeast Asian nation.
The tsunami warning was lifted roughly three hours later, officials said.
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In Maumere, a port town on Flores, rescuers recovered 20 bodies, found six people injured and reported two others trapped beneath debris, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency.
BNPB chief Suharyanto earlier said residents were still trapped in multiple buildings across the disaster zone, amid reports that landslides had blocked a number of roads.
Nagekeo remained out of reach and mobile phone service in the area was affected, Fathur told Reuters earlier.
Road access was repeatedly stopped by landslides, he said, while a separate team was attempting to reach the area by ferry.
BNPB said about 2,000 people in Nagekeo had evacuated, with damage recorded to homes, warehouses and government buildings.
Officials also cited power outages and traffic congestion in parts of the regency.
Families evacuating their homes in Talibura Village, Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena told a press conference that at least five people were killed when rubble collapsed as they slept.
BNPB, which earlier reported one dead and four injured, said it was still compiling and verifying information from the field.
Footage posted on Facebook — verified by Reuters as filmed at a port in Maumere — showed part of a building collapsing into dust and rubble as people screamed and ran into the street.
Buildings around the island have been left destroyed following the quake
“The quake was massive, the shock was so strong, we were resting at home with family,” said Nona, a 51-year-old resident of Talibura, a village in East Nusa Tenggara. “There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves.”
BNPB said the shaking was felt widely across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi, with residents in several places describing the tremor as lasting about one minute.
“Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes,” it said.
A damaged building in Ruteng, Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara
Kompas TV showed a hospital in the Ende district moving patients outdoors, while Kompas.com reported at least one landslide.
Indonesia’s BMKG geophysics agency said it recorded the initial quake at 4.58 am (10.58pm Irish time) at a depth of 15km, followed by a series of aftershocks.
BMKG noted the same area was struck in 1992 by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake that caused widespread destruction.
Australia’s tsunami warning centre said the undersea quake posed “no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories”.
Indonesia sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, one of the world’s most active seismic belts where tectonic plates meet, driving frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
In Ireland, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was monitoring developments in Indonesia.
The department said no Irish citizen had so far sought consular assistance, but that its Embassy in Jakarta “stands ready to provide support to any Irish citizen that requests it”.
The Embassy can be reached at +62 21 280 94300 for out of hours consular assistance.
