Indonesia earthquake: Death toll rises to 54 as rescuers race to reach devastated Flores communities

Rescuers were digging through collapsed buildings and clearing landslide-blocked roads Monday as Indonesia's death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake rose to at least 54, with thousands of people still displaced across eastern Indonesia, local media reported.

The earthquake struck early Saturday off the coast of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, one of Indonesia's most seismically active regions.

More than 130 people were injured, while about 7,000 residents were forced from their homes and into temporary shelters, according to Indonesian authorities.

The disaster unfolded as Indonesia marked its 81st Independence Day on Monday, overshadowing celebrations in Jakarta and leaving communities on Flores focused on survival and recovery.

As of Monday afternoon, Aug. 17, Indonesian media are reporting that the emergency response on Flores has shifted from the immediate rescue phase towards relief, recovery and continued monitoring of aftershocks.

• Aftershocks remain a major concern: BMKG reported it has recorded 1,598 aftershocks in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) following Saturday's M7.7 earthquake. Authorities continue monitoring the sequence.

• Another earthquake struck Flores on Monday: A separate Magnitude 5.7 earthquake was reported offshore Flores early Monday, with no tsunami warning issued. It came amid the continuing aftershock sequence following Saturday's disaster.

• 7,670 people are currently displaced, according to BPBD data cited by Antara news agency, spread across 38 evacuation locations in seven districts on Flores.

• Foor, clean water: Authorities are prioritising food, clean water and medicines for people sheltering independently.

• Aid starts arriving: The central government says an additional 25 tonnes of supplies reached NTT, including ready-to-eat food, drinking water, staple foods, medical teams, medicines, tents and clean-water supplies. The military has also sent another 13 tonnes of relief supplies and 66 personnel.

• Psychological support has begun: University Nusa Nipa and the NTT police are providing trauma-recovery assistance to children and other displaced residents.

• Wae Rebo remains closed: The popular Flores tourism destination has temporarily suspended visits because trekking routes remain vulnerable to landslides.

Rescuers race against time

Emergency crews have been using helicopters, heavy equipment and other extraction tools to search damaged structures for survivors. Landslides have blocked roads in several areas, while damaged communications and power outages have complicated efforts to reach isolated communities.

Authorities have deployed more than 3,500 military and police personnel to support rescue and relief operations. Roads to some previously cut-off villages have been reopened, but several areas remain difficult to reach.

Officials said there were no confirmed reports of people missing as of Monday, but rescue teams continued searching damaged buildings because of the possibility that people remained trapped beneath rubble.

More than 1,300 homes damaged

The earthquake damaged more than 1,300 homes across East Nusa Tenggara, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

Schools, hospitals, health centers and government buildings were also damaged, leaving some medical services operating under emergency conditions.

The destruction has created urgent shortages of food, clean water, medicines, tents and other basic supplies in some of the hardest-hit communities.

Indonesia has dispatched about 275 tons of aid, while emergency authorities are working to establish additional medical facilities, including field hospitals.

Nearly 1,600 aftershocks

The earthquake has been followed by a prolonged sequence of aftershocks.

Nearly 1,600 aftershocks had been recorded by Monday, according to Reuters, including a magnitude 5.6 tremor in Nagekeo. Earlier reports had recorded nearly 1,000 aftershocks, illustrating how rapidly the seismic sequence has continued.

The largest aftershock reported in the initial sequence reached magnitude 6.2, according to Indonesia's disaster agency.

The continuing tremors have prompted thousands of residents to sleep outdoors or in temporary shelters, fearing that already weakened buildings could collapse.

Tsunami warning lifted

The initial earthquake generated enough concern for authorities to issue a temporary tsunami warning. The warning was later lifted after the immediate threat passed.

Indonesia's earthquake and tsunami monitoring agency, BMKG, has continued warning residents to remain alert for aftershocks and to rely on official information rather than rumors circulating online.

Why Flores is so vulnerable

Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where several tectonic plates meet and where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common.

The Flores region has a particularly painful history of earthquake disasters. A powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the area in 1992, killing about 2,000 people.

The latest earthquake is the deadliest in Indonesia since 2022, when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Cianjur in West Java, killing more than 600 people.

The contrast between the magnitude of the latest quake and previous disasters also highlights the role of earthquake depth, distance from populated areas, construction quality and secondary hazards such as landslides in determining casualties.

Disaster response continues

East Nusa Tenggara authorities have declared a 14-day state of emergency, allowing resources and emergency personnel to be mobilized more rapidly.

For residents still sleeping outdoors, however, the immediate challenge is moving relief supplies into communities cut off by damaged roads and landslides.

Authorities are prioritising food, water, shelter and medical assistance while rescue teams continue assessing structural damage and searching areas that remain difficult to access.

The earthquake has already become one of Indonesia's most serious disasters of 2026 — but with aftershocks continuing and damage assessments still underway, officials warn that the full scale of the destruction may not yet be known.