Thousands Displaced By Deadly Indonesia Earthquake As Rescue Efforts Continue

Around 5,000 people have been displaced by a powerful earthquake in Indonesia that has caused at least 51 fatalities.
Rescuers continue to search for survivors of the shallow magnitude 7.7 quake, which struck the island of Flores shortly before 05:00 local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday).
Preliminary reports indicate more than 900 homes and hundreds of other buildings have been severely damaged by the tremor and 341 subsequent aftershocks, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said.
The full scale of the disaster is still being uncovered, with news of a second magnitude 6.9 earthquake elsewhere in Indonesia serving as a reminder of why this region is called the ring of fire.
The initial earthquake, which occurred just 15km below the surface, was the south-east Asian nation’s deadliest since 2022, when hundreds of people were killed in West Java.
Tremors were reportedly felt by residents as far west as Bima, the BNPB said, but the Manggarai province was among the most affected.
Preliminary data shows 24 fatalities had been recorded there, while 17 deaths were recorded in East Manggarai province, three in Sikka province, and at least one in each of the Ngada, Ende and West Manggarai provinces.
A total of 3,356 people had been displaced in Sikka, with a further 2,078 evacuated in Manggarai, the agency said.
Thirty-six people were seriously injured in East Nusa Tenggara province, while 77 suffered minor injuries, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said.
It will take time to assess the full extent of the destruction in the region, which is remote and mountainous.