Flores Quake: 1,576 Aftershocks Recorded, Death Toll Rises To 68

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

JAKARTA, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- A total of 1,576 aftershocks have been recorded following a major earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Flores Island early Saturday. The death toll has risen to 68 and the injured, 213.

National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Data and Information Centre acting head, Berton Suar Pelita, said the seismic activity included one magnitude 6.2 aftershock.

“Three others were of lower magnitudes, while more than 1,500 tremors were either felt or not felt. We will continue to update these figures,” he said during an online press conference on Monday.

He added that teams from BNPB and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) remain on standby in the seven affected regencies.

The latest figure means more than 500 additional aftershocks have been recorded since 3 pm local time Sunday when 995 had been detected and the death toll had risen from 57.

The magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck at 4.58 am local time on Saturday, with its epicentre in the sea about 30 kilometres northeast of Mbay in Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara province. The activity prompted a tsunami warning that authorities ended at 7.31 am, after sea-level observations showed no further significant rise.

The East Nusa Tenggara provincial government has declared a 14-day emergency response period from Aug 15 to 28, while separate emergency measures have been introduced in several affected regencies.

Berton said that as of Monday, there were no longer any reports of missing residents in the affected areas, although joint search-and-rescue (SAR) teams remained deployed.

He said electricity has been restored to 99.5 per cent of the 566,797 customers affected by the earthquake, leaving 2,732 customers requiring further attention.

Berton said the Health Ministry has deployed two field hospitals to Manggarai and Nagekeo, along with health crisis management and emergency medical teams to several affected areas.

The government has also deployed 10 aircraft to reach difficult locations and accelerate logistics distribution. Five of the aircraft have been stationed in Labuan Bajo in western Flores while the rest in Maumere in the eastern part of the island, he said.

-- BERNAMA