Islands cut off after quake

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Two small islands have been virtually cut off from the rest of the world since Saturday's powerful earthquake shook the Flores island and its surroundings.

A spokesman for the provincial government, Mell Adoe, said that the islands of Lembata and Solor have been difficult to reach because of the bad weather. Even if rescue officers could reach the shores, they still have to negotiate their way through the rough terrain to reach the village in the middle of the island.

"They need horses to get to the village. But first they have to find the horses," Mell told Antara.

Radio communication with people on the two islands has also been difficult because of the poor weather, he said.

The East Flores regency was struck by an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale on Saturday. There were no casualties reported, although hundreds of houses were damaged.

Mell said the extent of damage on the two islands has yet to be fully assessed.

East Flores has since been rocked by a number of aftershocks. (emb)