SEOUL, August 17 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung expressed condolences on Monday to victims of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia over the weekend, killing at least 53 people.
"I cannot contain my sorrow at the news that a powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia has caused great damage," Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"On behalf of the government of the Republic of Korea, I extend my deep condolences to the victims and bereaved families who have lost precious family members and their homes in this sudden disaster," he said.
Lee said search operations were still under way and that he hoped more survivors would be found.
"As rescue and search work continues, I earnestly hope that even one more person returns safely to the arms of their family," he wrote.
He also addressed the Indonesian government directly.
"Under President Prabowo Subianto's leadership, I sincerely hope recovery proceeds quickly so that residents of the affected areas soon regain their peaceful daily lives," Lee said.
Lee posted the message in both Korean and Indonesian and tagged Prabowo in the text.
The earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. Saturday local time off the northern coast of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province. The United States Geological Survey placed the epicenter 68 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Ende at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Indonesia's disaster management agency said at least 53 people had been killed and more than 1,300 homes damaged, over two-thirds of them severely. About 5,000 people have been forced from their homes.
Landslides triggered by the quake blocked sections of the Trans-Flores Highway and cut off remote villages, slowing rescue teams. Hundreds of aftershocks followed the initial tremor.
Flores has a history of severe seismic disasters. An earthquake of similar magnitude in December 1992 triggered a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the island.
The South Korean government has not announced humanitarian assistance for the affected areas.
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