Rescue Teams Continue Search for Survivors After Devastating Indonesia Earthquake

Rescue teams in Indonesia are conducting search and rescue operations for survivors of the Saturday earthquake that has claimed at least 47 lives.

The magnitude 7.7 quake hit Flores early Saturday morning (05:00 local time, 22:00 GMT Friday) at a depth of 15 km, according to Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency.

Early reports indicate that hundreds of structures have been severely damaged, along with numerous aftershocks that followed the main shock.

The overall extent of the disaster remains uncertain, and a separate magnitude 6.9 earthquake elsewhere in Indonesia underscores the region’s designation as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Tremors from the Saturday earthquake were reported by residents as far west as Bima Regency and City, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), though Manggarai province is among the hardest hit.

Preliminary data indicate 24 deaths in the area, with 17 fatalities in East Manggarai province, three in Sikka province, and at least one each in Ngada, Ende, and West Manggarai provinces.

At least two individuals suffered serious injuries and 11 were slightly injured.

The BNPB said aid was being sent to the affected areas with 10,500 packages arriving at the base operations so far.

It will take time to assess the full extent of the destruction in the region, which is remote and mountainous.

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