Powerful 7.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Eastern Indonesia, Killing at Least Five

A powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck the Flores region of eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, August 15, triggering tsunami warnings, damaging buildings and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate to higher ground.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the earthquake struck at 4:58 a.m. WIB. The agency’s updated analysis placed the epicentre in the sea about 30 kilometres northeast of Mbay in Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, at a depth of 15 kilometres.

At Least Five Reported Dead

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said at least five people were killed after being struck by collapsing rubble while they slept. Authorities continued assessing casualties and damage, meaning the toll could change as information from affected communities is verified.

Tsunami Warning Issued and Later Lifted

The strong and shallow earthquake initially prompted BMKG to issue tsunami warnings for vulnerable coastal areas in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi. Residents in several coastal communities moved to higher ground as a precaution.

BMKG monitoring recorded small tsunami waves at multiple locations. The highest listed observation was about 0.94 metres at Maurole-Ende, while smaller waves were detected at locations including Labuan Bajo, Sikka, Flores Timur, Dompu and Alor. BMKG later announced that the tsunami threat had ended.

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