Grocery stores, gas stations and other shops reopened on Indonesia’s Flores island on Wednesday, four days after a powerful earthquake killed at least 71 people, injured nearly 1,200 and damaged thousands of homes.

Debris still covered streets as search teams continued digging through rubble for possible victims, while more than 59,600 people remained in tents, evacuation centres and makeshift shelters, officials said.

The earthquake struck shortly before 6am on Saturday off Flores, a remote island in East Nusa Tenggara province, causing widespread destruction.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency and other officials, the quake damaged at least 11,925 homes, 182 health facilities, 653 schools, 184 government offices and 173 places of worship.

The agency said 398 tonnes of aid, including food, family tents, emergency shelters and public donations, had been transported to affected communities.

Trucks remained the main means of delivering aid, but Flores’ mountainous terrain and damaged or narrow roads continued to slow distribution. The government has expanded the use of military aircraft, ships and personnel to support emergency operations in remote areas, disaster agency spokesperson Berton Panjaitan said in a video statement.

Local governments in seven regencies affected by the earthquake have also resumed operations “to accelerate post-disaster recovery and serve the community’s administrative needs”, East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. Residents fled in panic after tsunami warnings were issued, though the warnings were later lifted.

Authorities recorded more than 3,000 aftershocks through Wednesday, although residents felt only 88 of them.

Thousands of people across the island continued to sleep outdoors, fearing further tremors. Rescue workers were clearing rubble and mud from a landslide while “anticipating the possibility of discovering more victims”, said Fathur Rahman, the search mission coordinator.

Aid distribution has been complicated by the large number of people sheltering near their damaged homes rather than at centralised evacuation centres. Many have chosen to stay close to their property to protect their belongings and livestock, making it harder for relief teams to quickly identify and reach those in need, Rahman said.

In Maumere, a port city in Sikka regency, markets and petrol stations drew large crowds after reopening.

In Reo, a town in the hard-hit Manggarai regency, residents queued outside a grocery store that opened only part of its premises to limit the number of customers inside.

“Food aid has helped, but it doesn’t cover everything we need for daily life,” said Delvina Panjaitan, who was waiting outside the store. “We still rely on grocery stores and markets, and we need them to be operating again.”

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Flores suffered one of Indonesia’s deadliest natural disasters in 1992, when an earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed about 2,500 people.