Magnitude 5.9 aftershock strikes Indonesia’s Flores as quake death toll rises to 53

A magnitude 5.9 aftershock struck Indonesia's Flores region on Monday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10km and came two days after a more powerful 7.7 magnitude quake shook six regencies on the predominantly Catholic island. As of Sunday, the death toll had risen to 53, with many of the thousands of displaced people sleeping outdoors due to fear of further aftershocks.

Rescue teams focused on three inaccessible regencies - Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo - where landslides triggered by the quake blocked roads. Over 900 homes were destroyed and 450 damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province, displacing about 5,000 people. At least 241 homes were damaged in Flores alone. Since Saturday's quake, there have been at least 995 aftershocks, with only 46 felt by residents and 135 injured.

The intense shaking left many residents with damaged homes and power outages. Authorities are struggling to restore electricity and communications while delivering aid to remote villages cut off by landslides. Indonesia, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Flores has faced several deadly disasters in the past, including a 1992 earthquake and tsunami that killed around 2,500 people, a 2018 magnitude 7.5 quake and tsunami that claimed over 4,400 lives, and a 2004 magnitude 9.1 quake that triggered a tsunami killing about 230,000 people in a dozen countries.