Indonesian authorities raised the death toll to 68 on Monday and the number of injured to 213 following the powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the coast of Flores island in the eastern archipelago on Saturday. Authorities continued search and rescue operations in the affected area, while the Local Disaster Management Agency reported no figures for those missing in the rubble.
The number of displaced persons rose to 12,800 across several localities on Flores, according to Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, who told AFP. Many residents slept outdoors for a second consecutive night out of fear of returning to their homes following 1,600 recorded aftershocks, according to the national geological agency. The latest aftershock, measuring magnitude 5.7, was recorded on the same Monday.
Junaidin, a 32-year-old resident of Mbay, described conditions in a makeshift shelter where about 30 people were sleeping. He noted that many houses had collapsed or suffered cracks and were uninhabitable, so residents returned only to collect water, clothing and other belongings.
Junaidin expressed frustration over what he considered a delay in the arrival of humanitarian aid, particularly while the country celebrated its independence day in the capital Jakarta. He indicated that the government had yet to provide tents, medicines, food or drinking water.
Indonesia is located in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a zone of intense seismic activity that extends from Japan to the Americas. The country has experienced some of the most devastating earthquakes in history, including the magnitude 9.1 earthquake in 2004 off the coast of Sumatra that triggered a tsunami and killed approximately 220,000 people in several countries, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.
