Earthquake Today: Another massive 6.9-magnitude quake on Saturday jolted Indonesia hours after 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Indonesia on Saturday, leaving 38 people dead and prompting a tsunami warning that was subsequently withdrawn.
“Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, two were seriously injured, 11 sustained minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people have evacuated on their own,” Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto said at a news conference, according to CBS News.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck the Flores region at 5:58 am local time. Its epicentre was located around 68 kilometres north-northwest of Ende city in East Nusa Tenggara province. The main tremor was followed by several aftershocks.
Following the quake, authorities issued a tsunami alert and advised people living along the coast to seek higher ground. The warning was later cancelled after Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency detected no major changes in sea levels that could endanger coastal areas.
Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency, said rescue teams were still looking for two villagers feared to be trapped beneath mud after a landslide triggered by the earthquake.
East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said the quake resulted in extensive damage and brought down several structures. Power failures across cities and villages disrupted communications, making search and rescue efforts more difficult.
According to CBS News, Darmoko stated, “We are continuing to collect reports of damage and casualties, but there are communication disruptions.”
In Ende regency, landslides also blocked the Trans-Flores Highway, a nearly 700-km paved mountain route that runs across Flores Island between Labuan Bajo and Larantuka.
Local television footage showed patients being taken out of several hospitals as a safety measure following the earthquake. Medical staff also shifted essential equipment, such as hospital beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders, outside and set up makeshift treatment facilities.
The Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency sent a helicopter to support relief and logistical operations, including potential evacuations.
The aerial assistance is particularly important in East Nusa Tenggara, an island province where difficult terrain and scattered settlements can complicate transport and emergency access.
Around 2,000 residents of Nagekeo regency also left their homes and moved to temporary shelters, CBS News reported.
(This is a developing story. More to come)
