Indonesia Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 47; 2 Chinese Citizens Slightly Injured
The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia on Saturday morning has risen to at least 47, with more than 50 people injured, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Among the casualties, two Chinese citizens sustained minor injuries while fleeing a hotel in the tourist town of Labuan Bajo, as Xinhua News reported.
The shallow earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time on Saturday at a depth of approximately 10-15 kilometers, with its epicenter located 30 kilometers northeast of Mbay town in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende. The quake was caused by movement on the Flores Back-arc Thrust fault, a segment that geologists had previously evaluated as capable of producing earthquakes up to magnitude 7.8-7.9.
Widespread Destruction Across Flores
The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning for South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara, prompting thousands of coastal residents to flee to higher ground. The warning was lifted approximately three hours later, but not before tsunami waves of up to 1.61 meters (5 feet 3 inches) were recorded in Riung, with additional waves of 0.94 meters in Maurole and 30 centimeters in Labuan Bajo, as BBC News reported.
Damage assessments reveal the scale of destruction: at least 346 houses have been damaged, including 157 severely damaged, along with 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, five places of worship, and six government offices. A maritime passenger terminal collapsed in Maumere, injuring hundreds of passengers, while the Jayakarta hotel in Labuan Bajo partially collapsed. Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo and Frans Sales Lega Airport in Ruteng both sustained damage, and landslides have blocked sections of the Trans-Flores highway.
Casualties by Region
The BNPB’s casualty breakdown shows the heaviest losses in Manggarai Regency, where 24 people were killed and 22 injured. East Manggarai reported 17 deaths, followed by Sikka with three, and one death each in Ngada, Ende, West Manggarai, and Nagekeo. One person remains trapped under rubble.
East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena told a press conference in Kupang that most victims died “while sleeping, crushed by collapsing rubble.” The earthquake struck in the early morning hours when many residents were still in bed.
Eyewitness Accounts
Survivors described terrifying scenes as the ground shook violently. Yulian Juita Ekalia, a 37-year-old university lecturer in Ruteng, told France 24 she had never felt an earthquake this big.
“It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary,” she said. “As I rushed to get outside, everything in the house fell down: the television, my son’s trophies, the dish racks, suitcases on top of the wardrobes. When I got outside, my son and neighbours were already there, screaming in fear.”
Arnold Welianto, a resident of Talibura village in Sikka, described the panic as residents near the shoreline fled toward the hills when the sea receded. “The water remained low for quite some time, so everyone panicked and ran,” he told the BBC.
Chinese Citizens Safe
The Chinese Consulate General in Denpasar confirmed that two Chinese citizens sustained minor injuries during the earthquake. Both were tourists at a hotel in Labuan Bajo who were injured while fleeing in panic. No Chinese citizens were reported dead, and the consulate has provided necessary consular assistance. Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that no foreign citizens died in the quake.
The consulate has issued an emergency advisory urging Chinese citizens in the region, particularly tourists in the Labuan Bajo area, to remain vigilant, monitor earthquake warnings, and stay away from the coast due to the risk of aftershocks and tsunamis.
Rescue and Relief Efforts
Search and rescue operations are continuing across the affected areas, with teams working through landslides and damaged infrastructure to reach isolated communities. The BNPB has dispatched food and relief supplies from logistics warehouses in East Flores Regency, while additional supplies are being sent from Jakarta via Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.
President Prabowo Subianto has sent 50,000 presidential aid packages weighing 275 tonnes to Maumere. Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency, has deployed special teams from Bali and West Nusa Tenggara, along with approximately 100 Brimob (Mobile Brigade Corps) personnel. Three helicopters and one rescue vessel have been deployed to support operations.
“Meeting basic needs and providing logistics for evacuees has become one of the top priorities of the emergency response,” BNPB head Suharyanto said. More than 5,000 people remain in evacuation shelters, and 10,500 aid packages have been sent to affected areas.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is preparing aid for approximately 2,000 people in temporary shelters. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered support, writing on X: “Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we stand with you.”
A Region Prone to Seismic Activity
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped zone of intense seismic activity where several tectonic plates meet. The Flores Back-arc Thrust, which caused Saturday’s earthquake, stretches approximately 2,000 kilometers and accommodates about 10 millimeters per year of convergence between the Sunda and Australian plates.
The region has a grim history of devastating earthquakes. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake and tsunami struck Flores in 1992, killing approximately 2,500 people. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people across the region, including approximately 170,000 in Indonesia.
A separate magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near Pematangsiantar on Sumatra island approximately 12 hours after the Flores quake. The deep earthquake (172 kilometers) caused no major damage and no tsunami warning was issued, as The Guardian reported.
What to Watch For
Authorities have warned that the death toll is likely to rise as rescue teams reach more remote areas cut off by landslides. Communication disruptions and power outages continue to hamper damage assessment efforts. The full scale of destruction in Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicenter, remains unclear as teams work to access the area by ferry.
Over 100 aftershocks have been recorded, with the largest measuring magnitude 6.1-6.2, and authorities are urging residents to stay away from damaged buildings and coastal areas. The China Daily reported that several flights to East Nusa Tenggara have been canceled as the region continues to assess the impact of this devastating earthquake.