Nearly 13,000 displaced by deadly Indonesian quake await aid

Nearly 13,000 people displaced by a powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia awaited aid on Monday, camping at schools, police stations and government offices.

The 7.7 magnitude quake struck early Saturday, killing 68 people and injuring more than 100, according to an updated toll. Rescue officials said there were no reports of missing people.

How many people were displaced by the Indonesian earthquake?

The number of people unable to return home rose to 12,800 by Monday, dispersed across several towns on Flores island.

Berton Suar Pelita Panjaitan, spokesman for Indonesia's BNPB national disaster agency, gave the figure to AFP. Many residents were preparing to sleep outside for a third night as more than 1,600 aftershocks continued to shake the area, according to the BMKG geological agency.

What conditions are survivors facing in Flores?

AFP saw several residents of Mbay, the town in Nagekeo regency nearest the epicentre, camped in makeshift tents built from tarpaulins and poles. "Our houses are no longer liveable, because many have collapsed and are full of cracks, so we can't go inside anymore," said Mbay resident Junaidin, 32. "We only go back home to get water, clothes, pillows, and then we... spend the nights here."

Many Flores residents carry traumatic memories of another 7.7 magnitude quake that struck the island in 1992, which triggered a tsunami and killed about 2,500 people. Junaidin, who like many Indonesians uses one name, said residents felt abandoned. "We're on our own here," he said, criticising the slow arrival of aid while Jakarta marked Independence Day with ceremony. "As for help from the government, there hasn't been any, no tents, no medicine, no food, no drinking water, nothing," he said. "Please open your eyes, government. We are your people, we are part of you. So please look after us."

What aid has reached earthquake survivors so far?

The Indonesian Air Force said it was bringing 13 tonnes of emergency aid in two Hercules planes and a Boeing. It was also deploying helicopters to deliver supplies directly to survivors in isolated communities, according to the commander of El Tari Air Base in Kupang, quoted by the Antara state news agency. The aid included food, clothes, clean water and emergency medical equipment.

The health ministry has sent two field hospitals and emergency medical teams to the region. The government said more than 1,400 police, soldiers and other personnel have been deployed to assist. Still, the aid cannot arrive soon enough for many locals.

"We fled with nothing. Just the clothes on our backs. We're victims, we're going through a disaster," said Mbay resident Siti Saudah Daso, a 31-year-old mother of three. "They said they would give us something, but there's no proof. So honestly, we're a bit upset, disappointed." Rescuers were still searching the area for victims, search and rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP, though no missing persons had been reported.

The epicentre of the shallow quake was located just off the north coast of Flores, geological authorities said. The affected areas have few high-rise buildings. Berton, the disaster agency spokesman, said at least 914 houses on the island were severely damaged, with hundreds more affected to a lesser degree.

Dozens of public buildings, including schools, health facilities and government offices, were also damaged. The NGO Save the Children said more than 8,000 children faced safety risks and disruptions to their education following the quake. Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a belt of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

A devastating 9.1 magnitude tremor struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people throughout the region, about 170,000 of them in Indonesia. It remains one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.