Flores Island Earthquake Survivors Describe Harrowing Escape as Homes Collapse

Melania Nius was at her husband’s hospital bedside on Indonesia’s Flores Island when a powerful earthquake struck, sending patients scrambling into the streets in panic. The 56-year-old recalled praying fervently as she struggled to guide her family to safety.

“We were all four on the bed — my husband, our two children, and I — when the 7.7-magnitude tremor hit just north of Flores Island around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday,” she said.

The quake killed at least 48 people and injured dozens more, reducing homes to rubble and leaving communities reeling. Survivors described a scene of chaos as structures crumbled around them, with many forced to flee with only the clothes on their backs. Emergency crews continue search and rescue operations across the hardest-hit areas, while officials assess the full scale of the destruction.

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