Jakarta, Aug. 16 (SANA) The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia has risen to 51, with more than 5,000 people evacuated as rescue teams search for survivors, authorities said Sunday.
The earthquake, which struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday morning, triggered landslides, blocked roads and damaged more than 1,300 homes.
Indonesian Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus said 36 people were seriously injured and another 77 sustained minor injuries, Reuters reported.
The quake was followed by about 341 aftershocks and was Indonesia’s deadliest since 2022. Rescue teams continued searching through rubble for survivors and recovering victims.
Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said teams had reached parts of Maumere that had previously been cut off by landslides, while operations continued to locate people believed to be trapped under debris.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said the earthquake struck at a depth of 15 kilometers. Authorities issued a tsunami warning following the quake.
kA.ABD
