A blood-curdling video has emerged showing the pure terror that gripped a bustling Indonesian port as a massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake ripped through the island of Flores early on Saturday morning, leaving at least 40 people dead and dozens more injured.
In the heart-stopping footage filmed at Lorens Say Port in the town of Maumere, dozens of desperate residents and travellers can be seen sprinting in every direction as the ground violently shakes beneath their feet. Luggage is abandoned mid-flight, motorbikes topple over, and thick clouds of dust and debris billow from a large terminal building as parts of the structure appear to give way.
The clip, which lasts more than a minute and has already been shared widely online, captures the raw panic of the moment. People clutch bags and children as they race along the pier. In one particularly harrowing sequence, several individuals lose their footing on a gangway or ladder leading to a waiting boat and plunge straight into the water below amid the chaos.
One man is seen desperately trying to film the unfolding nightmare on his phone while others scream and scramble for safety. The sea itself looks disturbed, with waves lapping higher against the concrete as the shallow quake, just 10 to 15 kilometres deep, sent shockwaves across the region.
The earthquake struck at around 5:58 am local time, centred roughly 68 kilometres north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Indonesia’s meteorology agency quickly issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas, urging residents to flee inland or to higher ground. Small waves of up to nearly a metre were later recorded before the alert was lifted after several hours.
Officials confirmed the death toll has climbed steadily throughout the day, with at least 38 to 47 people confirmed killed and more than 50 injured as rescue teams dig through rubble and landslides. Buildings have collapsed, roads are blocked, power is out in places, and around 2,000 people have been forced to evacuate.
Locals described the shaking as the strongest many had ever felt. One resident told reporters: “It was massive… we all just ran to save ourselves.”The dramatic video from Maumere’s port has become a symbol of the day’s horror – a vivid, unfiltered glimpse of ordinary people caught in the grip of nature’s fury in one of the world’s most seismically active regions.
Search and rescue operations continue as more than 200 aftershocks keep the island on edge.
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