Rescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday as they searched for bodies and possible survivors a day after a powerful earthquake killed at least 53 people, injured more than 100 and displaced thousands. At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighbouring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada and Ende regencies, the national disaster management agency said. Rescuers were still searching for people feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 68km (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, the USGS said. The quake, at a depth of about 10km (6 miles) off the coast of Flores, rattled much of the island and sent residents fleeing in panic. Tremors were also felt in neighbouring West Nusa Tenggara and parts of southern Sulawesi.
The disaster agency said the quake destroyed more than 900 homes and damaged nearly 450 more, forcing about 5,000 people into temporary shelters. Thousands more spent the night outdoors, fearing strong aftershocks. At least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centres and churches, were also damaged.
Relief workers have begun distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets and medicine, while emergency shelters were being set up for displaced residents. Authorities said restoring electricity and communications as well as delivering aid to remote villages isolated by landslides remained among the biggest challenges. The quake also struck Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo national park, one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations.
Landslides blocked sections of the Trans-Flores Highway, a roughly 700km (435 mile) road linking communities across the mountainous island. Many residents continued to sleep outside rather than risk returning to damaged homes. He said rescuers were focusing on searching the rubble of collapsed homes and other buildings for possible victims.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific “ring of fire”, a horseshoe-shaped arc of seismic faults and volcanoes. Flores has experienced some of the country’s deadliest disasters. A powerful earthquake and tsunami in 1992 killed about 2,500 people on the island.
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