MAUMERE, Aug. 16 -- Yulian Juita Ekalia had just stepped outside her apartment in Ruteng city when the ground shifted beneath her in a way she had never experienced. "It felt like we were on a trampoline," the 37-year-old university lecturer said. "It was really scary."

The trembling lasted long enough that by the time it stopped, at least 47 people across Flores Island were dead.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the north coast of Flores at 6:56 am local time on Saturday, with its epicentre in shallow waters just offshore. Suharyanto, the head of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said rescue teams had confirmed 47 deaths and 13 injuries by Saturday evening, but cautioned the figure was preliminary. "Victims are trap...