Thousands await aid after deadly Indonesian quake

International

2026-08-172026-08-17By Correspondent

RUTENG – Help could not come soon enough yesterday for thousands of evacuees on Indonesia’s Flores island after a powerful earthquake killed 53 people, injured dozens and damaged hundreds of houses and buildings. Some 5 000 people fled their homes as the 7.7-magnitude quake hit the island early Saturday, followed by nearly 1 000 aftershocks of varying intensities in the hours that followed, officials said.

People in some areas were left without electricity and telecommunications and at least one emergency access road remained inaccessible. “We need food, drink, medicines and diapers for the children,” Umri, a resident of Nangahale village on the north coast of Flores, told AFP yesterday morning.