Indonesia earthquake kills 68, displaces 13,000 on Flores

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake north of Indonesia's Flores island killed 68 people, injured dozens and displaced about 13,000, rescue officials said, as residents in the hardest-hit Nagekeo district spent nights in makeshift tents and appealed for help.

Officials said there were no reports of missing people after the quake struck in the early hours of Saturday. Emergency supplies of food, water and medicine were being sent to displaced communities.

In the coastal village of Marapokot, residents who fled to higher ground said they were afraid to return because their homes were cracked and aftershocks continued. Officials said more than 1,600 aftershocks had rumbled through the area.

Evacuees told AFP that tents made with tarpaulin, plastic, rope and poles offered some shelter from the sun, but that people had no toilets and only limited water and electricity.

Indonesia's government cancelled an Independence Day fireworks show planned in Jakarta for Monday in solidarity with victims. President Prabowo Subianto urged Indonesians in a holiday address to pray for people affected by the earthquake.