Reuters: Death toll hits 53 after powerful Indonesia earthquake

Around 5,000 people have been evacuated after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people, blocking roads and triggering landslides, authorities said on August 16.

More than 130 people were injured in the quake, many suffering broken bones,Reuters reports.

According to Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency, known as BNPB, more than 3,300 people in the eastern Sikka region either evacuated their homes or sought shelter at a sports arena.

Some residents were left stranded outside their collapsed homes, taking shelter under makeshift tarpaulin tents, while others received medical treatment in a tent set up outside a hospital.

The August 15 earthquake was Indonesia’s deadliest since a 2022 quake in West Java killed hundreds of people.

By Jeyhun Aghazada