At least 51 killed in Indonesia earthquake

At least 51 people have been killed in the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, as authorities elude to the likelihood of more deaths as search and rescue efforts continue.

Chinese authorities say three Chinese nationals have reportedly lost their lives in the quake.

Meanwhile, Indonesians are assessing the damage to their homes, setting up temporary shelters, while rescue efforts are still ongoing.

Indonesians assessed the damage to their homes in East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday and began clearing the destruction left after the powerful earthquake that hit Flores region.

In Manggarai Barat, people searched through their collapsed homes, retrieving items from the rubble. Families pitched tents outside, with many structures no longer habitable. Tents were also set up outside Siloam Hospital to treat the injured after earthquake.

The magnitude 7.7 quake, according to meteorological agency, was followed by 235 aftershocks by Saturday afternoon, with the largest reaching magnitude 6.2.

CHEN JIN, Chinese tourist: "When earthquake... I am in the room, my room is at the first floor and I just run away from the room. Because I live in Japan, so there are a lot of earthquakes in Japan. So, I have experienced a lot of earthquake before but, I think this time maybe its biggest one, bigger than any earthquake I experienced in Japan."

Authorities say dozens more residents were injured and warned that the death toll would almost certainly rise.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Most notably, a powerful earthquake caused tsunami in 1992 that killed 2,500 people on Flores, while in 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake triggered another tsunami that wiped out coastal areas, killing more than 4,000 people.