Overview
- A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Flores on Saturday, and officials have confirmed roughly 68–70 deaths with search-and-rescue operations continuing.
- More than 40,000 people are living in temporary shelters and over 1,100 injuries have been reported as thousands of aftershocks keep residents from returning home.
- The quake and thousands of aftershocks have damaged or destroyed hundreds to thousands of buildings, including homes, schools and health facilities, leaving urgent needs for shelter, clean water and trauma care.
- The government deployed thousands of military and police personnel and sent hundreds of tonnes of aid by air, sea and land, but landslides and blocked roads are slowing distribution to remote towns and islands.
- Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and Flores’s history of deadly quakes and tsunamis complicate recovery, meaning aftershocks could continue for weeks and relief gaps may produce prolonged health and sanitation risks.