Humanitarian crisis in Indonesia: Death toll rises to 70 after powerful earthquake on the island of Flores
The situation on the island of Flores, Indonesia, is becoming critical following the strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the region last Saturday. Local authorities have confirmed an increase in the casualty toll, raising the number of deaths to 70, while the number of displaced people now exceeds 22,000 citizens.
Berton SP Panjaitan, a representative of the Local Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), reported that the flow of evacuees has grown drastically in the last few hours. Currently, more than 22,276 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the instability of the area, which has recorded nearly a thousand seismic aftershocks since the main event.
Distribution of displaced persons by district
- East Manggarai: 7,443 people
- Manggarai: 6,487 people
- Nagekeo: 4,759 people
- Ngada: 1,920 people
- Sikka: 1,037 people
- West Manggarai: 600 people
- Ende: 30 people
Urgent needs and state of emergency
Humanitarian aid is being deployed urgently in the face of a shortage of essential supplies. Organizations on the ground have warned that food and drinking water are the number one priorities for the affected population. In addition, medical infrastructure is severely compromised.
Basic products are urgently needed. Although there are kitchens open in some posts thanks to the participation of the people, supplies are still needed. The available running water is cloudy and not safe for human consumption.
Severinus Budiman, member of the NGO Wahana Visi Indonesia
For their part, medical personnel in the most affected areas, such as the town of Pota, have reported that health facilities were destroyed. Given this situation, the provincial government has declared a state of emergency for the next 14 days to expedite assistance logistics and the reconstruction of the nearly 1,000 homes that have suffered structural damage.
Indonesia, an archipelago composed of more than 17,000 islands, remains under constant surveillance due to its geographical location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone characterized by intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by the convergence of various tectonic plates.
