A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores region early Saturday, killing at least two people, injuring others and damaging buildings and homes, triggering panic across the island.The shallow earthquake struck near the northern coast of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province. The US Geological Survey said the quake had a depth of about 10 kilometres, with its epicentre around 68 kilometres north-northwest of Ende. Several aftershocks followed the main tremor.Indonesia’s disaster management agency reported that at least two people were killed and two others injured in Sikka Regency, where the earthquake caused severe damage and building collapses. Rescue teams were deployed to affected areas as authorities assessed the extent of the damage.Videos and footage from the affected areas showed buildings collapsing and residents fleeing as the strong tremors struck. Local television footage also showed hospitals evacuating patients and moving beds, oxygen cylinders, IV stands and other equipment outdoors to set up temporary treatment areas.
Tsunami warning issued, later lifted
Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, urging people near the coast to move to higher ground and stay away from beaches and riverbanks.The warning was later lifted after Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency reported no significant sea-level changes that posed a threat to coastal communities. Reuters reported that waves of less than one metre were recorded before the warning was cancelled about three hours after the earthquake.
Residents describe panic and damage
The earthquake was felt across large parts of Flores, with residents reporting damage to buildings and people rushing to safer locations.Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara province, said several buildings were damaged by the shaking.“Many buildings here were damaged … I saw that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed,” she said.At St Peter Major Seminary in Sikka, students attending morning Mass fled after the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, according to Rev Guidelbertus Tanga, the rector of the seminary, locally known as Ritapiret Seminary.“Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof,” Tanga said. “At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the quake.”
Multiple tremors recorded
India’s National Centre for Seismology initially reported the earthquake at magnitude 7.4, with a depth of 49 kilometres. It said the quake occurred at 3:28 am IST on Saturday.“EQ of M: 7.4, On: 15/08/2026 03:28:24 IST, Lat: 8.557 S, Long: 121.181 E, Depth: 49 Km, Location: Indonesia,” the NCS said in a post on X.The NCS subsequently recorded a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Flores Sea at a depth of 63 kilometres at 3:43 am IST.“EQ of M: 6.3, On: 15/08/2026 03:43:55 IST, Lat: 8.298 S, Long: 120.164 E, Depth: 63 Km, Location: Flores Sea,” it said.A third magnitude 6.0 earthquake was recorded in the Flores Sea at a depth of 42 kilometres at 3:58 am IST.“EQ of M: 6.0, On: 15/08/2026 03:58:41 IST, Lat: 8.494 S, Long: 121.601 E, Depth: 42 Km, Location: Flores Sea,” the NCS posted on X.The USGS and AP later reported the main earthquake at magnitude 7.7 and at a depth of around 10 kilometres.
Why Indonesia is prone to earthquakes
Indonesia is highly vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a region marked by active fault lines and volcanoes.The country has experienced several devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. In December 1992, a powerful earthquake struck Flores and triggered a tsunami that killed around 2,500 people.Shallow earthquakes can be particularly destructive because seismic waves travel a shorter distance before reaching the surface, potentially producing stronger ground shaking and greater structural damage.
