Search for Indonesia earthquake victims underway

Quake damages around 500 homes and blocks roads

ENDE:

Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 68 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers combed through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.

Late on Monday, the death toll was raised to 68 from 54 previously, said Berton SP Panjaitan, an official at Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, adding that more than 200 have been injured.

Thousands have been evacuated following the country's deadliest disaster since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java, with many sheltering in tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks.

The tremor has cast a grim shadow over Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations and residents of East Nusa Tenggara have been jolted by nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, Panjaitan said. The country's geophysics agency reported a 5.6 quake in the region on Monday morning.

The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia's southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.

In the parking lot of a damaged health centre littered with tents and hospital beds in a village close to the quake-affected Ende region, Firmus Woge, a 64-year-old farmer, was being treated for his asthma, aggravated by the quake-induced panic.

He had difficulty breathing overnight "but it's getting worse again after this morning's quake," he said, gasping for breath.

In nearby tents, Emilianus Oro, a 56-year-old farmer from Ranukolo village, said about 70 mostly female residents lacked clean water, leading children to contract diarrhoea. He said one older person had a stroke and residents have not received aid. Reuters