Thousands in Indonesia await aid after quake kills 55, overshadows I-Day

Thousands of people were still waiting for aid on the Indonesian island of Flores as the country marked its 81st Independence Day on Monday days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 55 people injured dozens and damaged hundreds of homes and other buildingsMany residents on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims and waiting for aid to arrive to communities still cut off by the deadly quakeDuring Indonesias Independence Day ceremony in the capital Jakarta President Prabowo Subianto asked participants to pray for people affected by disasters in East Nusa Tenggara and other parts of the country while leading a nationwide moment of silence honouring the nations independence heroesMore than 1300 homes were damaged when the quake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone Some 5000 people were forced into temporary shelters and more than 130 people were injured according to the National Disaster Management AgencyThe provinces governor declared a 14day state of emergency on SundayThe quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres 6 miles shortly before 6 am Saturday according to the US Geological Survey and residents fled in panic as tsunami warnings were issued but later lifted Authorities have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks though only 46 were felt by residentsThousands of people on Flores camped outside collapsed homes under tarpaulin tents overnight into Monday sleeping outside because of the danger of more aftershocksAn Associated Press photojournalist saw widespread devastation across the island with fallen trees blocking roads giant boulders hurled down slopes by landslides and homes left shattered or heavily damaged Buildings collapsed onto parked carsFor many residents the disaster revived painful memories of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Flores in 1992 killing about 2500 peopleMy house is just rubble now said Rasyid Jafar a clothing trader in the village of Reo the hardesthit area in Manggarai regency We need food medicine and clean water urgentlyMore than 3500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the disaster zone and 275 tons of aid have been sent to the area though logistical challenges have slowed deliveries to some hardhit communitiesAid workers reached tiny Palue Island one of the areas closest to the earthquakes epicenter late Sunday after a difficult sea and land journey through landslidehit terrain authorities said Thousands of residents remained in urgent need of assistance after days of isolationThe roads are steep and many were blocked by landslides It was a neardeath journey said deputy police chief of Sikka regency Marselus Yugo Amboro whose team was among the first to reach the island with emergency suppliesHe said initial assessments revealed extensive damage with one villager killed two seriously injured and nearly 150 homes destroyedIndonesia an archipelago of more than 17000 islands is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire a horseshoeshaped arc of seismic faults and volcanoesIn 2018 a magnitude 75 earthquake triggered a tsunami on the island of Sulawesi that killed more than 4400 people In 2004 a magnitude 91 quake off Sumatra unleashed a tsunami that killed about 230000 people in a dozen countries nearly 170000 in Aceh province aloneThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever