Indonesia earthquake kills 70, displaces 40,000 on Flores

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia's Flores Island has killed at least 70 people and left more than 40,000 displaced, emergency officials said on Tuesday.

Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, said the number of displaced people had risen from 12,800 on Monday. At least 1,100 people were listed as injured.

The quake, which hit eastern Indonesia on Saturday, damaged almost 12,000 homes across several towns in Flores. BNPB spokesman Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan said many residents were refusing to return home as aftershocks continued.

Berton said more than 2,100 aftershocks had been recorded since Saturday, including 70 strong enough to be felt by residents. He said evacuees still needed food, clean water, tents and sanitation facilities.

BNPB said more than 100 tonnes of relief supplies had been delivered to the island since Saturday. National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said police had separately distributed nearly 250 tonnes of aid, including food, medicine, clothing, generators and other supplies.

Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes because it lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity.