Nearly 1,600 aftershocks hit Indonesia after earthquake kills at least 68 people

Nearly 1,600 aftershocks have hit Indonesia and thousands have been forced out of their homes after a powerful earthquake killed at least 68 people.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck just before 6am local time on Saturday, with its epicentre in the sea north of Flores island, part of East Nusa Tenggara province.

More than 1,300 homes were damaged, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

The number of people killed has risen to 68 - but there are fears many people are buried or trapped, with rescuers searching among the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Around 5,000 people have been forced into temporary shelters and more than 200 people are known to have been injured.

Officials said there was a further 5.6 magnitude quake in the region on Monday and almost 1,600 aftershocks since Saturday's initial earthquake.

Aid relief efforts have started, but reports said many residents in eastern Indonesia were still waiting for support to reach them amid concern many people still have no access to food.

Landslides and debris have blocked many roads, while emergency field hospitals are being built in several areas.

As it happened - earthquake hits Indonesia

For many residents, the disaster has brought back memories of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Flores in 1992, killing about 2,500 people.

Rasyid Jafar, a village trader, said: "My house is just rubble now. We need food, medicine and clean water urgently."

Veronika Nggambi, 22, has been forced to look after her baby in the back of a truck after her home was damaged.

She said: "I can only eat rice with nothing else. We need aid as soon as possible."

Nearly 1,500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the disaster zone and 275 tons of aid have been sent to the area, according to officials.

Aid and emergency workers said they were the first teams to reach the small island of Palue.

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Deputy police chief, Marselus Yugo Amboro, said: "The roads are steep and many were blocked by landslides. It was a near-death journey."

One villager had been killed, two were seriously injured and nearly 150 homes had been destroyed on the island, he added.

(c) Sky News 2026: Nearly 1,600 aftershocks hit Indonesia after earthquake kills at least 68 people