Death Toll Rises After 7.7 Earthquake Devastates Indonesia's Flores Island
A massive earthquake off Indonesia's Flores Island has killed dozens, flattened hundreds of homes and left residents shaken — describing it as the strongest tremor they've ever felt.
Damaged houses on Indonesia's Flores Island following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on August 15, 2026AFP
At least 48 people are dead and hundreds of structures destroyed after a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia's Flores Island early Saturday, triggering tsunami waves and sending residents fleeing in panic.
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The quake hit at 5:58 am local time with its epicenter in the sea north of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Tsunami waves of less than 1 meter (3 feet) were recorded in several areas of the country. The warning was lifted around three hours after the initial tremor.
Search and rescue operations continue with dozens of people still missing or feared trapped in the rubble. Residents describe the fear and panic as the quake struck. “Although I have experienced several earthquakes on Flores island before, this was by far the strongest and longest earthquake I have ever experienced. The shaking was extremely powerful and violent,” a local resident told CNN.
The USGS estimates that more than half a million people on Flores Island, in eastern Indonesia, are likely to have experienced very strong shaking, with moderate to strong shaking felt by several million more people across the country.
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Flores region in East Nusa Tenggara.BBC/USGS
More than 300 houses were destroyed or damaged, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency —100 public facilities, including 87 educational facilities, 18 health facilities, 6 offices and 5 places of worship.
Rescue teams have yet to reach the Nagekeo regency, where the quake caused landslides that have blocked roads and disrupted communications. Aftershocks continue to rock the region, hampering rescue and recovery efforts, with a magnitude 6.9 recorded thousands of miles away on Sumatra Island.
Rescuers search for victims at a damaged building in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, following the earthquake,BASARNAS
On average, about 15 to 18 earthquakes of a magnitude of 7-7.9 strike globally. This year 11 have been recorded, but scientists say the pace is on track and the number is not unusually high.
2026 Earthquakes Above Magnitude 7
February 22: Magnitude 7.1 – Sabah, Malaysia
March 24: Magnitude 7.5 – Vava'u, Tonga
March 30: Magnitude 7.3 – Sanma, Vanuatu
April 1: Magnitude 7.4 – North Maluku, Indonesia
April 20: Magnitude 7.4 – Iwate, Japan
June 7: Magnitude 7.8 – Mindanao, Philippines
June 24: Magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 – Yaracuy/La Guaira, Venezuela
July 17: Magnitude 7.3 – Chiapas, Mexico
August 10: Magnitude 7.4 – Chocó, Colombia
August 14: Magnitude 7.7 – East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Communities across Flores have begun the long and determined process of recovery, rebuilding stronger homes and supporting one another. Calls for enforcing stricter building codes are increasing as the full scale of destruction from the recent earthquake reveals how many structures failed under the intense shaking.
