Thousands await aid after deadly Indonesia quake

Thousands of people are awaiting aid after a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Flores island, killing 51 people and injuring dozens more. The earthquake, which occurred early Saturday, triggered at least 341 aftershocks and damaged hundreds of homes and buildings. Some 5,000 residents fled their homes, leaving many without electricity and telecommunications.

Fear and trauma linger among survivors, with some still traumatized by the 1992 tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the island. The government has deployed helicopters, planes, naval vessels, and search and rescue ships to assist the evacuees, providing emergency tents, food, medicines, blankets, camp beds, mats, clean water, and electricity generators.

At least 101 residents were injured, and no reports of people buried or missing were made. The quake's epicenter was located just off the north coast of the island, and the affected areas have few, if any, high-rise buildings. At least 914 houses were severely damaged, and dozens of public facilities, including 93 educational and 36 health facilities, were also struck.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is preparing to bring aid to thousands in temporary shelters, and the EU has offered support from its Copernicus Earth observation satellites.