Rescuers combed through debris for survivors Saturday (August 15, 2026) after a powerful earthquake struck off Flores Island in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 20 people and sending thousands fleeing.As the full scale of the disaster unfolded, rescue official Fathur Rahman told AFP that at least 20 people were confirmed dead from four different towns on the island, popular with tourists.“From the reports we have received, 20 people have died, six are injured, and two are still buried,” Mr. Rahman said by telephone from a boat on his way to Nagekeo regency, the hardest-hit area.Two people were known to be trapped alive under rubble in the neighbouring Manggarai regency after the 7.7-magnitude jolt.“Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble,” said Mr. Rahman, adding the rescue effort had been complicated by landslides cutting off several roads.Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday (August 15) — a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists witnessed.A tsunami warning was later lifted, but people were warned not to return to damaged buildings for fear that aftershocks might bring them down.Dozens of aftershocks have already been felt, the strongest measured at a magnitude of 6.1.