The latest death brings to 23 the number who have died since Friday when the pre-dawn quake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit Alor island near East Timor.

A 70-year-old woman died when she was startled during aftershocks that continued Monday, though in decreased intensity, said Alberth Ouwboly of the government relief centre in Alor's main town of Kalabahi.

A delegation of four Indonesian cabinet ministers meanwhile visited Alor to assess the situation.

Ouwboly said the ministers donated more than 100,000 dollars for emergency aid before setting out for the hardest-hit district of Northeast Alor by helicopter and boat. The quake severed road access to the district.

Ouwboly said at the weekend the entire population of Northeast Alor, about 8,000 residents, was believed to have been left homeless by the quake, which destroyed every public and private building there.

"What we most need is tarpaulins or tents," Ouwboly said Monday. "Right now we don't have any left."

Fewer than 500 tents have arrived since Friday's disaster, leaving most victims of the quake sleeping without shelter, he said.

Tents were providing some accommodation and housing medical and cooking facilities, he said.

The Indonesian archipelago, located on the "Pacific Rim of Fire" noted for its volcanic and seismic activity, is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

In February at least 28 people were killed when a succession of powerful earthquakes hit Papua province.

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