Nearly 13,000 displaced after deadly Indonesian quake
Thousands of people are sheltering outdoors amid fears of further tremors, with nearly 1,600 aftershocks recorded since the earthquake struck Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province.
Patients are treated in makeshift tents outside the Ben Mboi Manggarai regional hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Ruteng, Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on Aug 17, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
ENDE, Indonesia: Thousands of people in Eastern Indonesia have been displaced by a powerful earthquake, as the country marks its Independence Day, reeling from the impact of fresh tremors.
The 7.7-magnitude quake early on Saturday killed 68 people and injured more than 100. Rescue officials have said there were no reports of people missing.
Thousands camped out at schools, police stations and government offices as the number of people unable to return to their homes had risen to 12,800 by Monday morning.
Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, a representative for Indonesia's BNPB national disaster agency, told AFP that these people were dispersed among several towns on Flores island.
Saturday's disaster in the province of East Nusa Tenggara was the country's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java.
The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia's southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.
Thousands were evacuated, with many sheltering in tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks.
There were nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, local media reported the geophysics agency chief as saying.
The agency reported a 5.6 quake in Nagekeo region, near the initial epicentre, on Monday morning.
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, Firmus Woge, a 64-year-old farmer, was being treated for his asthma, aggravated by the panic setting in as the buildings around him continued to rattle.
He said he had difficulty breathing overnight. Though better on Monday morning, the fresh aftershocks again took his breath away.
"I felt better last night and this morning but it's getting worse again after this morning's quake," he said, gasping for breath.
SEARCH TO CONTINUE
The search will continue on Monday, the authorities said.
Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka's capital, told Reuters on Monday the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing.
Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding that there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.
The Indonesian Air Force said it was transporting 13 tonnes of emergency aid in two Hercules planes and a Boeing.
The Antara state news agency quoted the commander of El Tari Air Base in Kupang as saying that the air force was also deploying helicopters to take emergency supplies directly to survivors in isolated communities.
The aid included food, clothes, clean water and emergency medical equipment.
The health ministry has sent two field hospitals and emergency medical teams to the stricken region, and the government said that more than 1,400 police, soldiers and other personnel have been deployed to assist.
"I DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT ANYMORE"
In Jakarta, about 1,500km west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected on Monday to preside over celebrations marking Indonesia's independence from Japanese rule in 1945.
Residents fleeing from an Ende village in fear of tsunamis took their clothes and mattresses to higher ground.
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."
