Rescue workers searched through collapsed buildings and landslide debris on Sunday in eastern Indonesia, one day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island, killing at least 47 people, injuring more than 100, and displacing thousands, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.
Search teams dig through rubble on Flores after magnitude 7.7 quake kills at least 47
Rescue workers searched through collapsed buildings and landslide debris on Sunday in eastern Indonesia, one day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island, killing at least 47 people, injuring more than 100, and displacing thousands, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.
At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighboring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada, and Ende regencies, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Rescuers were still searching for villagers feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) off the Flores coast. Tremors were also felt in neighboring 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 due to fears of strong aftershocks. At least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centers, and churches, were also damaged.
Relief workers began distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets, and medicine, while emergency shelters were being established for displaced residents. Authorities said restoring electricity and communications, and delivering aid to remote villages isolated by landslides, remained among the biggest challenges.
- The source does not state the total number of people still unaccounted for or feared buried.
- The source does not provide the number of rescue personnel deployed.
- The source does not state whether a tsunami warning was issued following the earthquake.
- The source does not indicate the current aftershock count or their magnitudes.
- The source does not state the date on which the earthquake occurred, only that the search was ongoing 'a day after' the event.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.
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