Thousands of people are still waiting for food, water and medicine after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook the the Indonesian island of Flores over the weekend. Rescue teams continue to search for victims.
Image: Juni Kriswanto/AFP
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Flores early Saturday morning. Houses collapsed, walls crumbled and people fled into the open. At least 54 people had been reported killed as of Monday, and more than 100 were injured. Thousands are struggling to access safety, shelter and emergency supplies.
Image: Juni Kriswanto/AFP
More than 1,000 aftershocks are keeping Flores on edge, with many families still sleeping outdoors. Memories of a 1992 earthquake run deep: back then, a 7.7-earthquake triggered a tsunami and killed around 2,500 people.
Image: Arnold Welianto/AFP
Two days after the earthquake, some 12,800 people remain unable to return home. They’ve found shelter in police stations and government offices, or used tarps and poles to set up tents. At least 914 houses have been severely damaged, and hundreds more have been partially destroyed. Schools, medical facilities and public buildings were also affected by the quake.
Image: Selo/AFP
Many were able to escape the quake with their lives, but not much else. “We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs.,” Siti Sauda Daso, a 31-year-old mother of three from the town of Mbay, told AFP. Promised aid shipments — food, drinking water and medicine — have yet to arrive. “They said they would give us something, but there’s no proof. So honestly, we’re a bit upset, disappointed.”
Image: Juni Kriswanto/AFP
The Indonesian Air Force has mobilized 13 metric tons of relief supplies. Two Hercules aircraft and one Boeing are delivering food, clothing, drinking water and medical equipment to the disaster-stricken region, with helicopters flying out to remote villages.
Image: Edgar Su/REUTERS
In Ruteng, the injured are being treated in a makeshift medical tent set up in front of the hospital. Firmus Woge, a 64-year-old farmer, needed help with his asthma, which was aggravated by the quake-induced panic. “It’s getting worse again after this morning’s [aftershock],” he told AFP, gasping for breath.
Image: Juni Kriswanto/AFP
Rescue teams continue to comb through the affected areas. “We conduct land and air operations from helicopters. There haven’t been any reports on missing persons, but we are still scouring the area just to be sure,” search and rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP. Their work has been hampered by landslides and blocked roads, while a series of aftershocks continues to endanger the rescuers.
Image: Arnold Welianto/AFP
For many families, surviving the disaster is just the beginning of a long period of uncertainty. Indonesia lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and regularly experiences severe earthquakes — a 7.4-magnitude quake also struck the country on April 1. For now, the people of Flores can only hope that help will arrive before their plight worsens.
Image: Edgar Su/REUTERS8 images1 | 88 imageshttps://p.dw.com/p/5Ix7N
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