A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck off Indonesia’s Flores Island early Saturday local time has left at least 53 people dead, displaced around 5,000 residents, and triggered a growing humanitarian crisis as aftershocks, blocked access routes and delayed aid leave survivors in urgent need of support.
The shallow quake, which hit just 15 kilometers beneath the earth’s surface shortly before 6 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT Friday), marks the deadliest seismic event to hit Indonesia since the 2022 West Java earthquake that killed hundreds of people. As rescue teams work to reach cut-off communities, thousands of survivors are already facing dwindling food supplies, damaged critical infrastructure and widespread trauma from repeated aftershocks.
Across the island, thousands of displaced residents have chosen to sleep outdoors in makeshift tents amid sweltering days and cold nights, fearful that remaining aftershocks could trigger further building collapses. Even in Labuan Bajo, Flores’ westernmost tourism hub that serves as the main gateway to the world-famous Komodo National Park, many survivors have set up temporary shelters near their damaged homes rather than risk staying indoors.
“My house almost collapsed,” Anastasia Imad, a local farmer, told the BBC from a green emergency tent pitched beside her damaged property. “We were worried that the aftershocks would collapse the house while we were sleeping.”
Landslides triggered by the initial quake have blocked key access roads across many parts of the island, cutting off remote communities from critical supplies. Early assessments from Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency confirm more than 1,000 residential structures have been damaged, alongside dozens of health clinics, schools and government administrative buildings. The full extent of the damage, however, remains unclear as teams continue to reach isolated areas.
Hospitals and health facilities have been among the hardest hit infrastructure. Dozens of medical centers have been rendered unsafe after sustaining structural damage, forcing medical teams to set up makeshift emergency care units in tents erected amid rubble. At Ruteng Regional General Hospital in Manggarai Regency, the building’s roof collapsed, putting the facility’s operating room, delivery unit, pharmacy and laboratory completely out of service.
As of Sunday, multiple local representatives and hospital staff reported that no promised humanitarian aid or medical support had yet reached their communities. “We heard that medical assistance would be provided, but nothing has arrived yet,” Rista Mari, public relations officer for Ruteng Regional General Hospital, told the BBC. “We hope that assistance will arrive soon.”
Basic necessities including staple food and clean water are already in critically short supply, and local media leaders say growing numbers of residents are reporting hunger. “Each resident has set up their own evacuation post” amid widespread blackouts, landslides and blocked routes, Herry Kabut, editor-in-chief of local outlet Floresa Media, told the BBC. “So far, many basic necessities such as basic foodstuffs and clean water are in great demand. People have no idea where to evacuate. There’s been no government advice. Many have fled to the hills and are starving.”
Local residents say the official disaster response has been far too slow, though many acknowledge regional authorities face significant constraints. In Ngada Regency, local resident Charles Abar told the BBC that health infrastructure and equipment were severely damaged, and no medical aid had arrived as of Sunday night.
“I think facilities like emergency tents need to be provided immediately, but I also see that district and regional governments are struggling due to budget constraints, limited supplies, and so on,” Abar said. He added that entire villages have been cut off from aid, and hundreds of continuing aftershocks have forced displaced residents to seek safety on higher ground, leaving the community deeply shaken.
“The community is still traumatised,” Abar stressed.
On Sunday night, rescue teams finally reached one of the hardest-hit isolated communities: Nitung Village on Palue Island, located just north of Flores’ mainland, which had been completely cut off for nearly two days after the quake. Rescuers completed a dangerous two-hour overland trek from the coast through terrain still at high risk of additional landslides to reach the village.
“Our challenge was the road, which was still prone to landslides,” said Sikka Deputy Police Chief Commissioner Marselus Yugo Amboro, who led the rescue mission. “It was a life-threatening route.”
Yugo confirmed that hundreds of homes in Nitung Village were severely damaged, residents have been sheltering in improvised tents, and all electricity and communication lines were destroyed in the quake. “They haven’t received aid yet because Nitung Village was isolated for nearly two days after the quake,” he said, adding that teams are now working to rush emergency supplies to the village. “This is likely the village in Sikka Regency that suffered the worst damage from the earthquake.”
Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, at the convergence of three major tectonic plates, making it extremely prone to regular seismic and volcanic activity.