A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday, killing at least 51 people and displacing about 5,000 residents. The quake occurred at 5:58 am local time (21:58 GMT Friday) with its epicentre 68 km north‑northwest of Ende on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, according to the US Geological Survey, and was followed by 341 aftershocks. The event, at a depth of 10 km, damaged more than 1,300 homes and destroyed at least 157 houses, forcing roughly 2,000 villagers in Nagekeo regency into temporary shelters, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. Rescue teams deployed three helicopters and a vessel to the region, where scattered islands hinder access, and reported that landslides blocked roads and disrupted communications, according to the local search and rescue agency. More than 3,300 people in Sikka regency took shelter in a sports arena, while 77 people suffered minor injuries and 36 were seriously injured, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus told a televised meeting. Authorities are considering a state of emergency for East Nusa Tenggara to unlock additional resources, and 20 petrol stations remained closed because of power outages, state energy firm Pertamina reported. Aftershocks are expected to continue for several days, and officials have ordered further evacuations in northern areas while urging residents to avoid damaged structures and shorelines, Al Jazeera correspondent Jessica Washington reported. The same coastline was hit by a similarly powerful quake in December 1992, which triggered a tsunami that killed more than 2,500 people, the Indonesian geophysics agency said; Indonesia remains one of the most seismically active nations, sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire.