Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six additional bodies on Sunday, raising the confirmed death toll to 53 [2, 3, 4].
The discovery underscores the scale of destruction in the Flores region, where massive landslides and collapsed buildings have hindered search efforts for survivors.
The fatalities follow a magnitude-7.7 earthquake [1] that struck on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2026. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 km [1], with the epicenter located 42 miles north-northwest of Ende in the province of East Nusa Tenggara [1, 2].
Rescuers have spent the last 48 hours digging through debris and landslide deposits to locate missing persons [2]. While earlier reports indicated at least 47 deaths [6], the recovery of six more victims on Sunday brought the official count to 53 [2, 3].
The region remains unstable as seismic activity continues. Authorities said nearly 1,000 aftershocks [7] followed the primary event. One of these secondary quakes reached a magnitude of 6.4 [8].
Local authorities said the combination of the shallow depth and the intensity of the shaking caused extensive structural failure in the area near Ende [1]. Rescue teams continue to operate in the rubble, though the risk of further landslides remains a primary concern for personnel on the ground [2].
“Confirmed death toll to 53”
The high death toll and the volume of aftershocks highlight the extreme vulnerability of the East Nusa Tenggara province to shallow, high-magnitude seismic events. The recurrence of a magnitude-6.4 aftershock suggests a prolonged period of instability, which complicates rescue operations and increases the risk of further casualties among displaced residents and emergency responders.
