THOUSANDS of residents in eastern Indonesia were sheltering outdoors on Monday after a deadly earthquake killed at least 54 people, with rescuers preparing to search damaged buildings as nearly 1,600 aftershocks rattled East Nusa Tenggara.
The earthquake, which has cast a grim shadow over Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations, damaged about 500 homes and triggered landslides that blocked roads in parts of the province, including Sikka and Manggarai, according to the country’s disaster mitigation agency, BNPB.
Residents have been reluctant to return home amid continuing tremors, with many seeking shelter in tents as authorities prepare further search, rescue and relief operations.
Fathur Rahman, chief of the rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka, told Reuters on Monday that search operations would continue, including aerial monitoring for anyone who might be missing using a helicopter and an extrication device.
There were no reports of people missing and no major obstacles hampering the search, Reuters quoted Fathur saying.
The province experienced nearly 1,600 aftershocks by Monday, local media reported, citing the head of Indonesia’s geophysics agency. The agency recorded another magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the region on Monday morning.
BNPB chief Suharyanto said authorities had prepared aircraft to deliver food, tents and other essential supplies to affected communities.
The earthquake has left residents in several villages facing shortages of basic necessities.
At a damaged health centre near the quake-hit Ende region, 64-year-old farmer Firmus Woge was being treated for asthma that had worsened amid the panic and continuing tremors.
He said he had struggled to breathe overnight.
“It’s getting worse again after this morning’s quake,” he said, gasping for breath.
In nearby tents, 56-year-old farmer Emilianus Oro from Ranukolo village said about 70 residents, mostly women, lacked access to clean water, while children had developed diarrhoea.
He said an elderly resident had suffered a stroke and that the community had yet to receive assistance.
Elsewhere, 22-year-old Veronika Nggambi was caring for her baby alongside her mother in the back of a pickup truck after their home became uninhabitable.
“I can only eat rice with nothing else,” she said. “We need aid as soon as possible. We are just salt farmers.”
Authorities are also preparing emergency medical facilities, with the Health Ministry planning to establish field hospitals in several affected areas.
Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons were needed to treat victims suffering head trauma and broken bones.
The disaster struck as Indonesia marked its 81st Independence Day, with President Prabowo Subianto presiding over national celebrations in Jakarta, about 1,500km west of the disaster zone.
In one Ende village, residents fleeing fears of a tsunami carried clothes, mattresses and other belongings to higher ground.
For Gervas, 42, however, the national celebrations had become secondary to keeping his family safe.
“I don’t think about that anymore … I just think about the safety of my wife and 4-year-old twins,” he said. - August 17, 2026
