The death toll from Saturday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province rose to 68 by late Monday, with more than 200 people injured, disaster agency official Berton SP Panjaitan said.
About 12,800 people on Flores island could not return home by Monday morning, while rescuers searched collapsed buildings and communities waited for aid.
Homes and public facilities damaged
More than 1,300 homes were damaged across East Nusa Tenggara, including nearly 250 on Flores. Dozens of public buildings, including schools, health facilities and government offices, were also affected.
Residents in several communities slept outside under tarpaulin tents because damaged homes were considered unsafe amid the risk of further aftershocks. The province’s governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday.
Related coverage: Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off Flores Island.
Aid is being sent to isolated communities
The Indonesian air force said it was delivering 13 tonnes of emergency supplies using two Hercules transport planes and a Boeing aircraft. The shipment included food, clothing, clean water and emergency medical equipment, while helicopters were being deployed to reach isolated survivors.
Military personnel were assigned to help distribute aid from key hubs. The government also planned emergency field hospitals in several areas, according to Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus.
Medical care continues despite damaged facilities
A damaged hospital in Ruteng forced medical staff to quickly assemble a tent hospital. Doctors had sufficient medicine but could not access equipment needed for blood tests and X-rays, making treatment more difficult.
More context: Rescuers search for survivors after Indonesia’s 7.7 earthquake.
Rescue official Fathur Rahman said teams were searching the affected area for victims even though no reports of missing people had been received. President Prabowo Subianto asked people attending Indonesia’s Independence Day ceremony in Jakarta to pray for those affected by disasters, including in East Nusa Tenggara.
Also read: Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake Hits Kumamoto Prefecture, Triggering Fires and Structural Collapses.
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