Thousands of people displaced by a powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia spent a third night away from their homes on Monday, sheltering in schools, police stations and government buildings as they awaited emergency aid.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, which struck early Saturday, killed 54 people and injured more than 100. Rescue officials said there had been no reports of missing persons.
The number of people unable to return home had risen to 12,800 by Monday morning, spread across several towns on Flores island, Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), told AFP.
Many residents were reluctant to return home after more than 1,600 aftershocks rattled the area, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).
In the small town of Mbay, in Nagekeo regency near the earthquake’s epicentre, AFP saw residents sleeping in makeshift shelters built from tarpaulins and poles.
“Our houses are no longer liveable, because many have collapsed and are full of cracks, so we can’t go inside anymore,” said 32-year-old Mbay resident Junaidin, who was sheltering in a tent shared by about 30 people.
“We only go back home to get water, clothes, pillows, and then we spend the nights here,” he said.
Many residents of Flores have painful memories of another magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the island in 1992, triggering a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people.
“We’re on our own here,” Junaidin said, expressing frustration over what he described as delays in the arrival of government assistance as Indonesia marked its Independence Day with celebrations in the capital, Jakarta.
“As for help from the government, there hasn’t been any — no tents, no medicine, no food, no drinking water, nothing,” he said.
“Please open your eyes, government. We are your people, we are part of you. So please look after us.”
The Indonesian Air Force said it was transporting 13 tonnes of emergency supplies aboard two Hercules aircraft and a Boeing.
Helicopters were also being deployed to deliver aid directly to survivors in isolated communities, state news agency Antara reported, citing the commander of El Tari Air Base in Kupang.
The supplies include food, clothing, clean water and emergency medical equipment, while military personnel have been deployed to help distribute the aid at key locations.
For many survivors, the assistance cannot come soon enough.
“We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We’re victims; we’re going through a disaster,” said 31-year-old Siti Saudah Daso, a mother of three from Mbay.
“They said they would give us something, but there’s no proof. So honestly, we’re a bit upset, disappointed,” she added.
Rescue teams continued searching the affected areas for possible victims, search and rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP.
“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,” he said.
The shallow earthquake struck just off the northern coast of Flores, according to geological authorities. The affected areas have relatively few high-rise buildings.
BNPB spokesman Berton said at least 914 homes had been severely damaged, while hundreds more sustained lighter damage. Dozens of public buildings, including schools, health facilities and government offices, were also affected.
The humanitarian organisation Save the Children said more than 8,000 children faced “safety risks and disruptions to their education” following the earthquake.
Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a devastating tsunami that killed about 220,000 people across the region, including approximately 170,000 in Indonesia.
It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
AFP
