Indonesia Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 68 Aftershocks

The aftershock comes two days after a magnitude 7.7 quake shook six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in the Muslim-majority country.

Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six more bodies on Sunday, raising the death toll to 68, authorities said, as many of the thousands of displaced people spent the night outdoors in fear of aftershocks.

Rescuers dug through debris looking for anyone buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across They focused on three regencies that remained inaccessible: hardest-hit Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo.

“We have cleared most landslides and reopened roads to previously isolated villages, although communication disruptions and power outages continue to hamper search efforts,” said Fathur Rahman, head of the search-and-rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka regency.

More than 900 homes were destroyed and 450 more damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province, forcing about 5,000 people into temporary shelters. At least 241 homes were damaged in the Flores region alone, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency’s chief for disaster prevention.