Nearly 1,000 aftershocks followed Indonesia earthquake that killed at least 53

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday, August 16 at 5:58 a.m. local time, with the epicenter located 42 miles north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province on Flores Island, per CBS News. A second, 6.4-magnitude quake struck Sumatra Island the same day. At least 53 people were killed across both earthquakes, with more than 130 injured, according to CBS News reporting.

Rescuers recovered at least 47 bodies on Saturday immediately following the initial quake, mostly in the regencies of Sikka, Manggarai, and East Manggarai. Rescue teams recovered six additional bodies on Sunday, raising the confirmed death toll to 53 as of the latest reports. About 5,000 people were forced into temporary shelters following the disaster.

Structural damage was widespread across East Nusa Tenggara province. More than 900 homes were destroyed and 450 more damaged, according to CBS News. At least 241 homes were damaged in the Flores region alone. More than 100 public facilities were destroyed, including schools, medical centers, and churches, per the network's reporting. Landslides triggered by the earthquake buried or cut off many remote villages across six regencies on Flores Island, hampering both rescue operations and communication.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning that forced coastal residents to move to higher ground; authorities later lifted the alert after monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes. However, landslides in Ende regency severed the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 435-mile paved mountain road spanning Flores Island from Labuan Bajo to Larantuka, further isolating affected areas. Power outages in cities and villages, per CBS News, hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts.

Authorities have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks, according to CBS News, though only 46 of the recorded aftershocks were felt by residents. The largest recorded aftershock measured 6.2 magnitude. The sustained seismic activity has prolonged the emergency response phase and raised concerns about additional structural failures in already-damaged buildings.

The National Disaster Management Agency deployed a helicopter to assist with logistics and support emergency response operations. The extent of casualties in remote villages cut off by landslides remains unclear, and authorities have not yet provided a timeline for restoring road access or a final casualty estimate. Whether the death toll will rise further as rescuers reach isolated areas remains an open question.