Indonesia 7.7-magnitude earthquake: Death toll rises to 47, at least 50 injured

The death toll of the deadly earthquake that struck Flores Island, Indonesia on Aug. 15 has increased to 47, local authorities said.

According to the Jakarta Post, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency said another 50 people were injured.

Shallow quake

The magnitude-7.7 quake struck off the coast of Flores, an island in eastern Indonesia, at around 5:30am local time yesterday (Aug. 15).

Its epicentre was located off the north coast of Flores, about 68 kilometres northwest of the coastal town of Ende.

Multiple strong aftershocks were felt after the initial tremor, including one at a magnitude of 6.1.

The earthquake recorded a shallow depth of 15km, indicating a higher likelihood of causing more damage given its close proximity to the surface.

It was initially reported that 38 people were dead while two people were seriously injured.

Another 11 suffered minor injuries and thousands were displaced.

Nearly 160 houses, dozens of schools and other public buildings were damaged, according to the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

It added that rescue teams will target buildings where people are reportedly trapped.