Death Toll Rises to 38 in Flores Earthquake as Tsunami Warning Lifted

Official statistics showed a steady increase in the number of victims from the devastating earthquake that struck villages on Flores Island, with the total death toll exceeding thirty-eight people. National rescue teams worked tirelessly amidst the debris to pull bodies from the rubble, where sixteen bodies alone were rescued from a massive landslide that affected the remote village of Riuq.

Earthquake Details and Emergency Response

The United States Geological Survey announced that the earthquake's epicenter occurred at a depth of ten kilometers, precisely at 5:45 AM local time, locating it sixty-eight kilometers northwest of Ende city. This main shock was accompanied by two aftershocks that ignited panic among the residents, prompting local authorities to issue an immediate warning of high tides before it was later lifted after confirming sea level stability.

Damages, Injuries, and Evacuation

Suharyanto, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, revealed that at least thirteen injured people were transported to nearby hospitals for urgent care, including two whose medical condition is critical and requires intensive medical intervention. Simultaneously, large numbers of residents in the Nagekeo district, approximately two thousand from affected villages, were forced to leave their destroyed homes and move to temporary shelters to ensure their personal safety away from remaining demolition risks. East East Nusa Tenggara province is one of the areas most exposed to tectonic activity in the archipelago, where this tragic toll highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure in some remote villages to huge natural forces. This event also highlighted the urgent need to strengthen early warning systems and improve the response of relief teams in remote coastal areas to reduce human losses in the near future. In conclusion, search and rescue operations continue at full speed in the devastated areas, with faint hopes of finding survivors trapped under tons of rubble and destroyed debris. Authorities continue to monitor any new geological developments that may threaten the stability of the area and exacerbate the suffering of survivors of this tragic natural disaster.