The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) raised the death toll from 40 late Saturday. Fathur Rahman, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency’s (Basarnas) office in Maumere, NTT, said 50 people were injured in the 7.7-magnitude quake.

BNPB head Suharyanto said people were trapped in several buildings: “These will be the initial targets of the disaster response teams.”

Fathur told AFP the focus was on locating victims who may be buried under rubble, but rescue efforts have been complicated by landslides cutting off roads.

Nearly 160 houses, dozens of educational and health facilities and other public buildings were damaged when the earthquake struck, according to the BNPB.

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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said preparations were underway to bring aid to some 2,000 people in temporary shelters. The government sent 50,000 aid packages weighing a total of 275 tonnes to the area.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen offered help from the bloc's Copernicus Earth observation satellites.

"Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes in the sky, to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we stand with you," she wrote on X.

The first quake was recorded at 4:58 a.m. Central Indonesian Time on Saturday, with its epicenter was located off the north coast of Flores, about 68 kilometers northwest of the coastal town of Ende. 

Several strong aftershocks followed the initial tremor in the same area, including one with a magnitude of 6.1.

BNPB previously said the earthquake was also felt in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and South Sulawesi, with the latter located around 130 km north of the epicenter across the Flores Sea.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) initially issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, but lifted it later on Saturday morning. 

Authorities urged people not to return to damaged buildings for fear that aftershocks may bring them down.

Saturday’s quake shocked local residents, some of whom claimed the tremor was the biggest they ever felt. Flores was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in 1992, which triggered a tsunami and resulted in around 2,500 deaths.

“It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary," said 37-year-old university lecturer Yulian Juita Ekalia, who lives in Ruteng city more than 100 km west of the epicenter, as quoted by AFP.

Many Flores inhabitants were left without electricity and telecommunications.

Also on Saturday, a 6.4-magniutde earthquake struck North Sumatra. The quake occurred at a depth of 168 km, with its epicenter located on land about 11 km southeast of Simalungun regency, according to the BMKG. The quake was felt by residents in Tebing Tinggi, Kabanjahe and Limapuluh cities in the province.

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