Search for Indonesia quake victims underway on Independence Day

Rescuers in eastern Indonesia will comb through collapsed buildings on Monday 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 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 Sunday.

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 tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks.

There were nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, local media reported the geophysics agency chief as saying.

The agency reported a 5.6 quake in the Nagekeo region, near the initial epicentre, on Monday 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’s getting worse again after this morning’s quake,” he said, gasping for breath.

The search will continue on Monday, authorities said.

Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka’s capital, told Reuters on Monday the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing.

Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.