Overview
- A very strong magnitude-7.7 quake struck off north Flores on Saturday, centered about 70 kilometres northwest of Ende at a shallow depth of roughly 10 km, and authorities issued a tsunami warning that was later lifted.
- Officials report the death toll has risen into the low 50s with more than 100 injured and thousands displaced as rescue teams work through aftershocks and unstable terrain.
- The quake and its many aftershocks damaged hundreds of homes and public buildings, with authorities saying more than 900 houses were heavily damaged and nearly 13,000 people left unable to return to their homes.
- Jakarta has sent helicopters, ships, thousands of troops and large consignments of relief supplies while the ICRC and the EU have offered support and Copernicus satellite help to map damage.
- Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire plus a separate M6.9 quake on Sumatra the same day have kept seismic risk high and are stretching national response capacity as crews clear roads and refine damage counts.