More than 5,000 people remain displaced on Flores after an earthquake killed 51 and severely damaged homes and public facilities.

More than 5,000 people remained displaced on Indonesia’s Flores island on Sunday after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake killed 51 people and caused extensive damage, as authorities focused on providing emergency supplies to survivors and assessing the destruction.

RELATED: Dead Toll Rises to 47 After a 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake in Indonesia

The earthquake struck at about 6 a.m. local time on Saturday, with its epicenter about 62 kilometers (39 miles) northwest of Ende, the most populous city on Flores. Residents evacuated their homes and were sheltering in sports centers and other evacuation sites.

Berton SP Panjaitan, head of information at the local Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said meeting basic needs and delivering supplies to evacuation centers was now the priority.

Survivors urgently need tents, rice, medicines, blankets, drinking water and generators, Panjaitan said.

The latest BPBD assessment found that 914 homes had suffered severe damage, while 126 sustained moderate damage and 317 minor damage.

More than 100 public facilities were also severely affected, including 93 educational institutions, 36 health facilities and 38 government offices.

Emergency Declaration Considered

President Prabowo Subianto expressed his condolences on social media for the earthquake disaster in East Nusa Tenggara province.

As the scale of the disaster grew, the provincial government began processing a decree to declare a state of emergency for 14 days. Similar measures have already been formally adopted in affected regencies and cities.

About 2 million people live on Flores, where Ende and Maumere are among the island’s main cities.

Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity associated with the convergence of several tectonic plates.

IN THIS ARTICLE