JAKARTA: Rescue teams in Indonesia are continuing to search for survivors after a powerful earthquake struck the island of Flores on Saturday, killing at least 47 people.
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck shortly before 5 am local time, or 22:00 GMT on Friday, at a depth of 15 kilometres, according to Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency.
The earthquake and a series of aftershocks have reportedly caused severe damage to hundreds of buildings. However, authorities have yet to determine the full extent of the destruction as rescue and assessment operations continue.
The scale of the disaster was further highlighted by another magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck a separate part of Indonesia, underscoring the seismic risks faced by the country, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), tremors from the main earthquake were felt as far west as Bima Regency and City. Manggarai Province has emerged as one of the worst-affected areas.
Preliminary figures show 24 deaths in Manggarai Province, 17 in East Manggarai, three in Sikka, and at least one death each in Ngada, Ende and West Manggarai provinces.
At least two people have sustained serious injuries, while 11 others suffered minor injuries, according to authorities.
The BNPB said relief supplies were being dispatched to affected areas, with 10,500 packages already delivered to the base of operations.
(Inputs from BBC)
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