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Rescuers search for survivors of powerful Indonesia earthquake - BBC
World8/15/20261 min read
Officials say a rapid assessment into the impact of the earthquake that destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed 47 is under way.
✨ Key Highlights
- A shallow magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the island of Flores in Indonesia shortly before 05:00 local time on Saturday, killing at least 53 people and displacing around 5,000 residents.
- More than 900 homes plus hundreds of other buildings were severely damaged, alongside 341 aftershocks and a separate magnitude 6.9 quake elsewhere in the country, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
- The quake, which occurred just 15km below the surface, is Indonesia's deadliest since 2022, when hundreds died in West Java; the region sits on the seismically active "ring of fire."
- BNPB deputy Abdul Muhari reported 25 deaths in Manggarai, 20 in East Manggarai, four in Sikka, two in Ende and at least one each in Nagekeo and West Manggarai, with 3,356 displaced in Sikka and 2,078 evacuated in Manggarai.
- Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said 36 people were seriously injured and 77 suffered minor injuries in East Nusa Tenggara province, while damage to schools, healthcare facilities and government offices complicated relief in the remote, mountainous terrain.
- Ruteng Regional Hospital suffered collapsed ceilings, forcing patients into tents, and footage from Maumere's port showed concrete falling onto ferry passengers, some thrown into the sea when a gangway collapsed; authorities said meeting basic needs and delivering logistics are top emergency priorities.
However, early reports indicate more than 150 houses had been severely damaged, as well as dozens of educational institutions, a number of healthcare facilities, places of worship, offices, and sever