Thousands evacuate after Indonesia quake kills 53

Around 5,000 people have been evacuated after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake smashed an area in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53, blocking roads and causing landslides, authorities confirmed on Sunday.



They added that more than 130 people had been injured, many with broken bones.



Saturday's quake was the Southeast Asian nation's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java.



More than 3,300 people in Indonesia's eastern Sikka region self-evacuated or were in a sports arena, according to the country's national disaster mitigation agency, known as BNPB.



Some residents were stranded outside collapsed homes under a makeshift tent made out of tarpaulin, while others received treatment in a tent outside a hospital.



A sprawling archipelago of 290 million people, Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a seismically active zone where tectonic plates meet, triggering frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.