Thousands in Indonesia await aid after devastating earthquake
Al Jazeera Staff
The death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province has climbed to 68, with thousands more waiting for aid. Rescue teams are still searching for victims as many communities on Flores remain cut off. Authorities have declared a 14-day emergency and are rushing supplies to the affected areas.
By late Monday, the death toll from the powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Saturday in East Nusa Tenggara province in eastern Indonesia had risen from 54 to 68, according to Berton SP Panjaitan, an official with Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency. More than 200 others were injured.
Many residents on the island of Flores, part of East Nusa Tenggara province, spent Monday searching for relatives and awaiting aid, as numerous communities remain isolated in the aftermath of the disaster.
During Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations in the capital Jakarta, President Prabowo Subianto urged the public to pray for the victims and observed a minute of silence in honor of national heroes.
Statistics indicate that more than 1,300 houses were damaged when the earthquake struck on Saturday, with nearly 250 homes on Flores completely destroyed. Dozens of public buildings, including schools, health facilities, and government offices, were also affected. The provincial administration declared a 14-day state of emergency starting Sunday.
Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, spokesperson for Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said around 12,800 people have been unable to return home and are sheltering in temporary tents in several towns on Flores.
Thousands of Flores residents have been camping outside damaged homes under tarpaulins through Monday night, fearing aftershocks. Junaidin, a 32-year-old resident of the Mbay area, said: “Our houses are no longer habitable because many have collapsed or are full of cracks; we cannot go inside.” He expressed frustration that government aid has been too slow: “There has been no help from the government—no tents, no medicine, no food, no drinking water.”
Indonesia's Air Force said it dispatched two Hercules transport planes and a Boeing aircraft to carry 13 tons of emergency relief supplies, including food, clothing, clean water, and medical equipment. Helicopters were also deployed to deliver supplies to isolated communities. The military has sent personnel to key areas to support distribution.
Rescue teams are still searching for victims in the rubble, although no official reports of missing persons have been made, according to rescue official Fathur Rahman.
Indonesia's Ministry of Health said it will set up emergency field hospitals in several areas to treat the injured. Al Jazeera's Jessica Washington, reporting from Ruteng, East Nusa Tenggara, said medical staff there had to quickly erect a tent hospital after the main hospital was damaged. Doctors said they have sufficient medicine but lack access to blood-testing equipment and X-ray machines, complicating treatment. Many elderly patients are enduring daytime heat and nighttime cold, further complicating their care.
Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. The magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 people in the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history.
