Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 53 as rescue operations continue

A day after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake jolted eastern Indonesia, rescue teams recovered six more bodies Sunday, raising the death toll to 53, while many of the thousands displaced spent the night outdoors in fear of aftershocks.

Rescuers dug through debris looking for anyone buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in the Muslim-majority country.

They focused on three regencies that remained inaccessible -- hardest-hit Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo.

"We have cleared most landslides and reopened roads to previously isolated villages, although communication disruptions and power outages continue to hamper search efforts," said Fathur Rahman, head of the search-and-rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka regency.

More than 900 homes were destroyed and 450 more damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province, forcing about 5,000 people into temporary shelters.

At least 241 homes were damaged in the Flores regi