A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, collapsing buildings and homes, killing at least five people and sparking panic in an area prone to deadly earthquakes.
Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring did not show any significant changes in sea level that would pose a threat to coastal communities.
The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake struck the Indonesian region of Flores at a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 am local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was 68 kilometers northwest of Indi city in East Nusa Tenggara province. The initial earthquake was followed by several aftershocks.
Initial reports from the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency said that at least two residents were killed and two others were injured, as the quake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings, according to the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency.
Local television footage showed patients in several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution in the wake of the earthquake. Hospital staff moved equipment outside, including beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders, and set up temporary treatment areas to adapt to emergency conditions.
In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), rescuers search for victims in a damaged building following an earthquake in Momir, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Basarnas via AP
A man inspects damage to a building following an earthquake in East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Saturday, August 15, 2026.
AP Photo/Kurniawan
The earthquake was felt on the island of Flores
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The earthquake was felt in most parts of the island of Flores, and initial reports indicate severe damage.
Johanna Embu, a resident of Sika, an area in East Nusa Tenggara province, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking, prompting terrified people to flee to higher ground.
“Many buildings here have been damaged… I saw that the waiting room at the port terminal in Mumere collapsed,” she said.
Students at St. Peter Major Seminary in Seca who were attending morning mass fled in panic when the roof of the assembly hall collapsed, said the Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, dean of the seminary, known locally as the Ritapirit Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores.
“Our students and nuns ran in panic under a collapsed roof,” Tanja said. “At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of the building during the earthquake.”
Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, urging residents to stay away from beaches and river banks. The agency identified the location of the shallow undersea earthquake near the island of Flores.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
A strong earthquake caused a tsunami in 1992 that killed about 2,500 people on Flores, part of a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia.
In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake triggered a large local tsunami that wiped out coastal areas, while liquefaction caused by the tremors turned entire neighborhoods into rivers of sludge in the eastern Indonesian city of Palu, on the Palu-Koro fault. The disaster claimed the lives of more than 4,400 people.
In 2010, a 10-foot (three-meter) wave hit the Mentawai Islands, off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, just minutes after a massive earthquake struck offshore. More than 400 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed.
In December 2004, a massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in twelve countries.
& Edition 2026 The Canadian Press
