Islands cut off after quake

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)