Thousands evacuate after Indonesia quake kills 51, cuts roads

SIKKA, Indonesia - Approximately 5,000 individuals have been forced to evacuate following a magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck an area in eastern Indonesia, resulting in at least 51 fatalities, the closure of roads, and landslides, according to authorities on Sunday. Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus reported to a televised meeting that 36 people sustained serious injuries, while 77 others had minor injuries during the Saturday morning quake.

The 7.7 quake, accompanied by around 341 aftershocks, marks the deadliest earthquake in Southeast Asia since a 2022 disaster that claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. Over 3,300 residents of the Sikka region evacuated voluntarily or sought refuge in a sports arena, as stated by the disaster mitigation agency BNPB. Some individuals in Sikka were stranded outside their collapsed homes beneath makeshift tents constructed from tarps, while others received medical attention in a tent situated outside a hospital in the port town of Maumere.

Abdul Mutas, a 63-year-old resident of Sikka, expressed his plight to Reuters as he and his family slept on a tarp surrounded by trees in the town. Mutas recounted their response to the quake, stating, "I only brought my body," and described their panicked escape as the tides were rising.