Indonesia Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 72, Over 80,000 Homeless

TOKYO, August 20. /TASS/. More than 80,000 people have been left homeless and nearly 29,000 homes damaged as a result of the earthquake that struck Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province. The death toll has risen to 72, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported.

"Seventy-two people were killed, 900 were injured, 18,019 families were affected, and 82,691 people were forced to leave their homes," the statement said. It also noted that around 29,000 homes had been damaged.

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores Island in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on August 15. According to the Antara news agency, Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government had allocated 44 bln Indonesian rupiah ($2.47 mln) to provide assistance to residents of areas affected by the earthquake.