Photos: Search for Indonesia earthquake victims continues

What the report says

Rescue work and aid deliveries were continuing in eastern Indonesia after a powerful earthquake killed at least 68 people and injured more than 200, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on Indonesian disaster officials and news agencies. The hardest-hit areas were in East Nusa Tenggara province, where villagers were waiting for help while responders searched collapsed buildings for people feared trapped under rubble.

Berton SP Panjaitan of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said the death toll had been revised upward late on Monday, and that thousands of people had been evacuated. Many displaced residents were staying in tents or outdoors because they were afraid to return to damaged homes amid repeated aftershocks. The report said the province had experienced nearly 1,600 aftershocks by Monday.

The earthquake also caused landslides and road closures, complicating access in districts including Sikka and Manggarai. Indonesian authorities prepared aircraft to fly in food, tents and other aid. The agency had earlier said about 500 homes were damaged.

Al Jazeera noted that the disaster came during Indonesia’s Independence Day period and was the country’s deadliest since a 2022 quake in West Java. As context, Indonesia sits on a highly active seismic zone, which makes major earthquakes and secondary hazards such as landslides a recurring risk.