Thousands evacuated as Indonesia quake death toll rises to 53
Thousands of people have been evacuated after 7.7-magnitude quake hit eastern Indonesia
Around 5,000 people have been evacuated after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake smashed an area in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53, blocking roads and causing landslides, authorities said on Sunday.
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authorities → evacuate → Sunday
They said more than 130 people had been injured, many with broken bones.
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people → say → bones
Saturday's quake was the Southeast Asian nation's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java.
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quake → kill → Java
More than 3,300 people in the Sikka region self-evacuated or were in a sports arena, according to the disaster mitigation agency BNPB.
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people → evacuate → agency
Some Sikka residents were stranded outside collapsed homes under a makeshift tent made out of tarp, while some people received treatment in a tent outside a hospital in the port town of Maumere.
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people → strand → Maumere
"I only brought my body," Abdul Mutas, 63, said after he and his family slept on a tarp surrounded by trees in the town of Sikka.
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he → bring → Sikka
"The tides were rising, so we ran," he said, describing their reaction to the quake.
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he → rise → quake
"Almost all of Sikka's residents didn't dare stay indoors, so they slept on a porch or a tent outside," Simon Subandi, deputy regent of Sikka, told news channel KompasTV.
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Subandi → dare → KompasTV
More than 3,500 military and police officers have been deployed to the region, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement.
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Wijaya → deploy → statement
Fear of aftershocks
At a now-closed port in Maumere, littered with debris from a collapsed roof and walls, residents said they were scared of aftershocks.
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they → close → aftershocks
The disaster agency said on Sunday nearly 1,000 aftershocks had been recorded since the quake.
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aftershocks → say → quake
Nearby, hundreds of residents filled a sports stadium, which has been designated as an evacuation spot.
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which → fill → spot
As the sun was setting, residents stood in line to get warm drinks.
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residents → set → drinks
Some mothers hooked pieces of clothing to tent frames to form makeshift cradles for their babies.
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mothers → hook → babies
Other children played soccer outside.
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children → play → soccer
Margaretha Movaldes Da Maga Bapa, head of the region's disaster mitigation agency, said the quake had brought back memories of the one residents experienced in 1992.
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residents → say → 1992
"We've had quakes often.
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We → have → quakes
But this one really brings back the trauma of the one from 1992," she said, as aid such as food and tents filled her office in trucks.
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aid → bring → trucks
Search efforts continue
Suryaman, a rescue agency official, said the priority was clearing rubble in the most-affected areas of Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo to find people possibly still trapped under rubble.
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priority → continue → rubble
Suryaman said the agency had not received missing person reports but added that landslides and aftershocks were impeding the search.
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landslides → say → search
Power supply was nearly fully restored, but authorities were still working on fixing distribution lines, state utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara said Sunday.
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Negara → restore → lines
The East Nusa Tenggara government has declared an emergency for the province, BNPB said, a move that allows authorities to mobilize resources and funding.
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authorities → declare → resources
At least 47 people killed following 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia
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7.7 magnitude quake strikes Indonesia, tsunami warning issued | Hanomansing Tonight
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warning → kill → Indonesia
Geology expert Dwikorita Karnawati said the region was at risk of earthquakes due to the "Flores back-arc thrust fault," a major system of west-east thrust faults.
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region → say → faults
The area of the quake was hit in 1992 by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake that caused extensive destruction, Indonesia's geophysics agency said.
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agency → hit → destruction
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of 290 million people, straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a seismically active zone where tectonic plates meet, triggering frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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plates → sprawl → earthquakes
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