Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 70, government aid arrives

The death toll from the powerful 7.7-magnitude quake that struck Indonesia last Saturday has risen to 70.

More than 40,000 people are now listed as displaced by the quake, including 12,800 on Flores Island, according to the national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, a sharp jump from the figure of 12,800 provided on Monday.

At least 1,100 people were also now listed as injured, an increase of more than tenfold from just a day earlier.

The quake damaged almost 12,000 homes across several towns in Flores, where a BNPB spokesman said many residents were refusing to return home as hundreds of aftershocks rattle the island.

More than 2,100 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday. Additional government aid has begun arriving by land, sea and air, but shortages of food, drinking water, tents, and sanitation facilities remain.