5.9-magnitude aftershock hits eastern Indonesia as deaths from initial earthquake climbs to 54
Most of the displaced spent the night outdoors, wary of aftershocks.
On August 17, a magnitude 5.9 aftershock struck the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake just two days prior. This latest quake has resulted in at least 54 deaths, 199 injuries, and 9,963 people displaced, with 2,403 homes damaged - 1,543 severely, 328 moderately, and 532 slightly. The German Research Centre for Geosciences reported the aftershock's depth at 10 km.
Rescuers prioritized three regencies that remained difficult to reach: Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo. The head of the search-and-rescue office in Maumere, Fathur Rahman, reported that most landslides had been cleared and roads reopened, though communication disruptions and power outages continued to impede efforts. The Trans-Flores Highway, a 700km road affected by landslides, was partially blocked.
Over 995 aftershocks have been recorded, with 46 felt by residents, according to the National Disaster Management Agency’s chief for disaster prevention, Abdul Muhari. In Labuan Bajo, a town near Komodo National Park, residents slept outdoors due to the intensity of the aftershocks. A farmer, Anastasia Imad, recounted her terror as her house nearly collapsed under the shaking.
Indonesia, home to the Pacific Ring of Fire, has experienced numerous devastating natural disasters. In 1992, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake and tsunami claimed 2,500 lives on Flores. In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and resulting tsunami on the island of Sulawesi killed over 4,340 people. The Boxing Day earthquake of 2004, measuring a magnitude of 9.1, triggered a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
