Indonesia quake kills at least 38 as rescuers struggle to reach worst-hit areas

JAKARTA: At least 38 people were killed after a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia on Saturday, followed by dozens of aftershocks, as emergency teams worked to reach communities near the epicentre.

Authorities said tsunami waves measuring less than one metre were recorded in several locations following the early morning earthquake. A tsunami warning issued after the tremor was withdrawn around three hours later.

Suharyanto, head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), said the confirmed death toll had reached 38 by 3pm local time. Two people were seriously injured and another 11 sustained minor injuries. Around 2,000 residents had moved to safer areas, he added.

Rescue teams face blocked access

Emergency workers have yet to fully reach some of the areas closest to the epicentre, raising concerns that the number of casualties could increase.

In Maumere, the main town of Sikka Regency on Flores Island, rescue officials earlier reported finding 20 bodies. Six people were injured, while two others remained trapped beneath debris. Authorities said people were also believed to be trapped inside damaged buildings in other affected areas.

Landslides triggered by the earthquake have blocked several roads, further complicating rescue and relief efforts. Strong shaking was reported across multiple provinces as authorities continued assessing the scale of the damage and searching affected communities.

Teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicentre, and communications signals there had been affected, Fathur told Reuters. Attempts to reach Nagekeo by car were blocked by landslides, while another team was attempting to go by ferry, he said.

About 2,000 residents in Nagekeo evacuated, and damage was reported to a number of houses, warehouses and government facilities, the BNPB said. Authorities also reported traffic congestion and power outages affecting parts of the regency, it said.

The governor of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, told a press conference at least five people died from collapsing rubble as they slept.

Parts of a building collapsed into dust and rubble as people screamed and ran in the street, a video on Facebook, verified by Reuters as being at a port in Maumere, showed.

“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.”

Strong shaking was felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi, and residents in several areas reported shaking lasting about one minute, the BNPB said in a statement.

“Most of the people felt the shock and scattered out of their homes,” it said.

A hospital in the district of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara Province was moving patients outside, Kompas TV footage showed, and Kompas.com reported at least one landslide.

Indonesian geophysics agency BMKG recorded the first quake at 4.58 a.m. (2158 GMT) at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), followed by several aftershocks.

In 1992 the same area was hit by a magnitude-7.5 quake, causing extensive destruction at that time, the agency said.

Australia’s tsunami warning centre said the undersea earthquake would pose “no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories”.

Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet, creating a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.