Search continues for Indonesia earthquake victims as families wait for help on Independence Day. Rescuers in East Nusa Tenggara are preparing to use helicopters for aerial checks and special tools to free anyone still trapped under collapsed buildings after the deadly tremor.
Nearly 1,600 aftershocks shook the area by Monday, according to the geophysics agency. A fresh 5.6 magnitude quake hit the region that morning. The official death toll stands at 54 people, the highest in Indonesia since the 2022 West Java disaster. Around 500 homes were damaged and landslides blocked many roads in Sikka and Manggarai.
Thousands of residents remain evacuated. Many sleep in tents outdoors because they fear more tremors. In a village near Ende, 64-year-old farmer Firmus Woge struggled with asthma made worse by panic and the latest aftershock. Nearby, Emilianus Oro from Ranukolo village said about 70 people, mostly women and children, still lack clean water. Some children have diarrhoea and one elderly person suffered a stroke. No aid has reached them yet.
Young mother Veronika Nggambi, 22, cared for her baby in the back of a pickup truck after their house became unsafe. “I can only eat rice with nothing else,” she said. “We need aid as soon as possible. We are just salt farmers.”
Rescue chief Fathur Rahman in Maumere confirmed the search will continue with helicopter monitoring and extrication equipment. No one is currently reported missing and the work faces no major obstacles. Authorities have prepared planes to deliver food and tents. An emergency field hospital will also be set up, with neurosurgeons and orthopaedic specialists needed for head injuries and broken bones.
While President Prabowo Subianto led Independence Day events in Jakarta, survivors in the quake zone focused only on safety. One resident named Gervas said he no longer thinks about celebrations. He only worries about his wife and young twins. The disaster has left communities in deep need of support as aftershocks continue and basic supplies remain scarce.
