Rescuers in Indonesia recover 6 more bodies in earthquake aftermath, raising death toll to 53

Rescue teams are searching through rubble and landslide debris, a day after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores island in eastern Indonesia

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia -- Searchers dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris Sunday in eastern Indonesia as they searched for bodies and possible survivors a day after a powerful earthquake killed at least 47 people, injured more than 100 and displaced thousands.

At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighboring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada and Ende regencies, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Rescuers were still searching for villagers feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

The USGS said the magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The quake, at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) off the coast of Flores, rattled much of the island and sent residents fleeing in panic. Tremors were also felt in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara and parts of southern Sulawesi.

The disaster agency said the quake destroyed more than 900 homes and damaged nearly 450 more, forcing about 5,000 people into temporary shelters. Thousands more spent the night outdoors, fearing strong aftershocks. At least 167 public facilities, including schools, health centers and churches, were also damaged.

Relief workers have begun distributing rice, ready-to-eat meals, drinking water, blankets and medicine, while emergency shelters were being set up for displaced residents. Authorities said restoring electricity and communications as well as delivering aid to remote villages isolated by landslides remained among the biggest challenges.

The quake also struck Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park , one of Indonesia’s best-known tourist destinations. Landslides blocked sections of the Trans-Flores Highway, a roughly 700-kilometer (435-mile) road linking communities across the mountainous island.

Many residents continued to sleep outside rather than risk returning to damaged homes.

“The shaking was terrifying, so intense that my house nearly collapsed,” said Anastasia Imad, a farmer in Labuan Bajo, speaking from a makeshift green tent beside her damaged home.