An earthquake registering 6.0 on the Richter scale shook a remote island in eastern Indonesia on Friday, killing 16 people and injuring dozens more, a government official said. Muhammad Bere, head of the disaster relief centre in the town of Kalabahi on Alor island, said the death toll could rise because rescuers had not reached many affected areas.
"Our latest data shows 16 dead with most of them killed after their houses collapsed on them. This data may likely go up from hour to hour, day to day, because it is very difficult to reach several areas," Bere told Reuters. He said the quake damaged more than 600 houses, six schools, several churches and mosques. The island's airport was also damaged and was out of action.
The government earthquake monitoring centre in the city of Kupang on nearby Timor island, said the earthquake struck Kalabahi, 2,000 km (1,200 miles) east of Jakarta, at around 5:26 am (2126 GMT Thursday).
Around 170,000 people live on the picturesque but poor island of Alor, which is predominantly Christian and known for its intricate weaving products and underwater beauty. Most of the population resides in seaside Kalabahi and nearby hillside villages.
Rugged terrain has become an obstacle for rescuers trying to reach more remote areas on the mountainous island, located across a strait from East Timor's capital city of Dili. "Two-wheel vehicles cannot reach parts of the island, let alone four-wheel ones so we're trying to use speedboats to reach those affected areas," Bere said, adding the quake caused a tsunami at the more isolated eastern part of Alor. He didn't have any more details.
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