Search for Indonesia earthquake victims continues

Rescuers in eastern Indonesia will comb through collapsed buildings to find anyone who might still be trapped under rubble after an earthquake that killed at least 53 people, as the country marks its Independence Day reeling from the impact of fresh tremors.

Saturday's disaster in the province of East Nusa Tenggara was the country's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds of people in West Java.

The official death toll was at 53 as of late Sunday. The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia's southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai.

Thousands of people were evacuated, with many sheltering in tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks.

There were nearly 1600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, local media reported the geophysics agency chief as saying.

The agency reported a 5.6 quake in Nagekeo region, near the initial epicentre, on Monday morning.

The search will continue on Monday, authorities said. Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka's capital, told Reuters the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing.

Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.

Authorities readied planes to deliver aid such as food and tents, the chief of the country's disaster mitigation agency Suharyanto said late on Sunday. The quake damaged around 500 homes, he said.

Indonesia will also build an emergency field hospital in several areas, said Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, the country's deputy health minister.

Neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons are needed to treat head trauma and broken bones, Benjamin said.

In Jakarta, about 1500km west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected on Monday to preside over celebrations marking Indonesia's independence from Japanese rule in 1945.