Earthquake kills 54, displaces 12,800 in Indonesia

Thousands of people displaced by a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in eastern Indonesia are camping in makeshift shelters, awaiting aid as over 1,600 aftershocks continue to rattle the region. The quake, which struck early Saturday, has claimed 54 lives and injured more than 100, with rescue officials reporting no missing persons.

By Monday morning, the number of people unable to return to their homes had climbed to 12,800 across several towns on Flores island. Many residents are preparing to sleep outside for a third night, fearing the unstable ground. Residents of Mbay, a town near the epicenter, have erected tents in public spaces, as their homes are no longer habitable due to collapses and severe cracks.

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Our houses are no longer liveable, because many have collapsed and are full of cracks, so we can’t go inside anymore. We only go back home to get water, clothes, pillows, and then we… spend the nights here.

"Our houses are no longer liveable, because many have collapsed and are full of cracks, so we can’t go inside anymore," said Mbay resident Junaidin, 32. "We only go back home to get water, clothes, pillows, and then we… spend the nights here."

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As for help from the government, there hasn’t been any, no tents, no medicine, no food, no drinking water, nothing. Please open your eyes, government. We are your people, we are part of you. So please look after us.

Junaidin expressed frustration with the slow arrival of aid, noting, "As for help from the government, there hasn’t been any, no tents, no medicine, no food, no drinking water, nothing. Please open your eyes, government. We are your people, we are part of you. So please look after us."

The Indonesian Air Force is dispatching emergency aid, including food, clothes, water, and medical supplies, via planes and helicopters to isolated communities. However, for locals like Mbay resident Siti Saudah Daso, a mother of three, the provisions cannot come soon enough. "We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We’re victims; we’re going through a disaster," she said. "They said they would give us something, but there’s no proof. So honestly, we’re a bit upset, disappointed."

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We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We’re victims; we’re going through a disaster. They said they would give us something, but there’s no proof. So honestly, we’re a bit upset, disappointed.