'Another chance to live': Flores residents recall Indonesia quake panic
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island in Indonesia, causing significant damage to homes and public facilities. Residents and hospital patients were forced to evacuate, with local authorities issuing a temporary tsunami warning.
Why it matters
Natural disasters in densely populated island regions pose immediate threats to infrastructure and public safety, requiring urgent humanitarian response.
Emergency officials said nearly 160 houses, dozens of educational and health facilities and other public buildings were damaged when the earthquake struck the popular tourist island.
Villagers look on after spending the night in an open field in Nangahale village in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, on Aug 16, 2026, after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Indonesia's eastern Flores island. (Photo: AFP/Arnold Welianto)
RUTENG, Indonesia: Melania Nius was at her husband's hospital bedside on Indonesia's Flores island when a powerful earthquake shook their town to its core, sending patients fleeing into the chaos outside.
Melania, 56, recounted how she prayed as she fought to get her family to safety.
"The four of us - my husband, our two children, and I were on the bed," when the 7.7-magnitude rattler struck just north of Flores island at around 5.30am on Saturday (Aug 15).
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