Around 5,000 individuals have been relocated following a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck an area in eastern Indonesia, resulting in a death toll of at least 53, obstructing roads, and triggering landslides, as confirmed by authorities on Sunday. Over 130 individuals sustained injuries, many of which included broken bones.

This earthquake on Saturday marked Indonesia’s most fatal seismic event since a quake in 2022 that claimed hundreds of lives in West Java. The Sikka region reported that over 3,300 people either self-evacuated or sought refuge in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.

In the aftermath of the disaster, some Sikka residents found themselves stranded outside collapsed residences, seeking shelter under makeshift tarps, while others received medical attention in tents outside a hospital in the port town of Maumere. Abdul Mutas, 63, expressed, “I only brought my body,” recounting how he and his family sought safety under trees after the quake-induced rising tides compelled them to flee.

Simon Subandi, the deputy regent of Sikka, disclosed that almost all residents chose not to remain indoors in Sikka and instead resorted to sleeping on porches or makeshift tents. To aid in the response efforts, over 3,500 military and police personnel have been dispatched to the affected region, as communicated by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

Concerns regarding aftershocks loomed over the region, with residents in Maumere, now a closed port strewn with debris, expressing fear. The disaster agency reported nearly 1,000 aftershocks since the initial quake, prompting hundreds of residents to seek refuge in a designated sports stadium.

Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, the head of the region’s disaster mitigation agency, highlighted the emotional impact the quake had on residents, likening it to traumatic experiences from previous seismic events. Search and rescue operations persist in clearing rubble from heavily impacted areas like Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo to locate potential survivors.

While power restoration efforts are near completion, authorities continue to focus on repairing distribution lines, as confirmed by state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara. A state of emergency has been declared for the East Nusa Tenggara province, enabling authorities to mobilize necessary resources and funding for relief operations.

Dwikorita Karnawati, a geology expert, underscored the seismic risks faced by the region due to the “Flores back-arc thrust fault,” a significant system of thrust faults. Notably, the affected area was previously struck by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake in 1992, causing widespread devastation, as indicated by Indonesia’s geophysics agency.

Indonesia, with a population of 290 million spread across its vast archipelago, lies within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a volatile zone where tectonic plates converge, resulting in frequent seismic activities like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.