ENDE, Aug 17 — Rescuers in eastern Indonesia will comb through collapsed buildings today to find anyone who might still be trapped under rubble after a deadly quake that killed at least 53 people, as the country marks its Independence Day reeling from the impact of fresh tremors.
Saturday's (August 15) disaster in the province of East Nusa Tenggara was the country's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java. The official death toll was at 53 as of late yesterday.
The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia's southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.
Thousands were evacuated, with many sheltering in outdoor tents and afraid to return home for fear of aftershocks.
Local media reported that the geophysics agency chief said there were nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of today. The agency reported a 5.6 quake in the Nagekeo region, near the initial epicentre, this morning.
In the parking lot of a damaged health centre littered with tents and hospital beds in a village close to the quake-affected Ende region, Firmus Woge, a 64-year-old farmer, was being treated for his asthma, aggravated by the panic setting in as the buildings around him continued to rattle.
He said he had difficulty breathing overnight. Though better on Monday morning, the fresh aftershocks again took his breath away.
"I felt better last night and this morning, but it is getting worse again after this morning's quake," Firmus said, gasping for breath.
Search to continue
Authorities have confirmed that the search will continue today.
Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka's capital, told Reuters that the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing.
He added that rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, and noted that there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.
Late yesterday, the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure's chief Suharyanto said authorities readied planes to deliver aid such as food and tents, as the quake damaged around 500 homes.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said that Jakarta will also build an emergency field hospital in several areas, as neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons are needed to treat head trauma and broken bones.
'I do not think about that anymore'
In Jakarta, about 1,500km west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected to preside over celebrations today marking Indonesia's independence from Japanese rule in 1945.
Residents fleeing from an Ende village in fear of tsunamis brought their clothes and mattresses to higher ground.
Asked about how he felt about the Independence Day celebrations, one resident, Gervas, 42, said: "I do not think about that anymore…I just think about the safety of my wife and four-year-old twins."
