The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Indonesia's Flores Island has risen to at least 68 as more than 1,500 aftershocks continue to hit the region.

According to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and other sources, following the strong earthquake that struck off the northern coast of Flores Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Indonesia on the 15th, the casualties tallied as of the 17th local time stand at 68 dead and 213 injured.

About 1,300 homes have been damaged, and the number of displaced people has surged to roughly 12,800.

On the 16th local time, the Indonesian government declared a 14-day state of emergency issued by the authorities of East Nusa Tenggara province, where Flores Island is located, and launched emergency rescue and relief operations.

Around 3,500 military and police personnel have also been dispatched to the affected areas.

However, 1,576 aftershocks—including a magnitude 5.7 aftershock that struck 42 kilometers northwest of Ende, the central hub of Flores Island—are further hindering rescue and recovery efforts.

Indonesia is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," making earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequent.

In 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Banda Aceh in northern Sumatra, triggering a giant tsunami that killed 170,000 people.

On Flores Island, which is home to about 2 million residents, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake followed by a tsunami also struck in 1992, killing approximately 2,500 people.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)