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East Nusa Tenggara provincial police chief Rudi Darmoko told local broadcaster Kompas TV that at least five people died in the earthquake, with several victims killed by collapsing rubble while asleep in the early morning hours. The national disaster mitigation agency BNPB initially reported two deaths including a man and a woman at Maumere port along with some injuries but subsequent local police tallies aligned on the higher figure as assessments continued. Search and rescue operations remained underway Saturday afternoon with teams examining damaged structures across multiple regencies for any additional trapped individuals.
The US Geological Survey placed the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.7 with a shallow depth between 10 and 15 kilometers and an epicenter 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende city at 5:58 a.m. local time. Strong shaking lasting nearly one minute was reported across much of Flores Island and parts of nearby regencies including Nagekeo and Sikka where residents described fleeing homes and hospitals as walls cracked. An AccuWeather assessment found that roughly 500,000 people were exposed to very strong or severe shaking capable of causing moderate damage even to well-built structures.
Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG issued a local tsunami warning for coastal areas in East Nusa Tenggara and surrounding provinces immediately after the main shock. The national disaster mitigation agency BNPB reported waves between 19 and 30 centimeters detected in several locations before the alert was canceled about three hours later. Approximately 2,000 residents in Nagekeo regency evacuated to higher ground as a precaution while authorities urged those near the northern coast of Flores to move at least two kilometers inland or to hills higher than 10 meters.
Preliminary surveys by the national disaster mitigation agency BNPB identified damage to at least 15 buildings including homes, government offices and a school on nearby Selayar Island with videos from Maumere port verified by Reuters showing partial collapses and clouds of dust as people ran from the scene. A 6.1-magnitude aftershock followed within hours along with others measuring 5.9 and 5.6 according to BMKG data intensifying fears that kept many families outdoors. Residents in Talibura village in Sikka regency told reporters they felt the sea recede before rushing to higher ground amid the panic.
BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari stated in a televised briefing that communities should carry out self-evacuations immediately and avoid damaged buildings or coastal zones while rapid assessments continued. The agency advised calm and warned of further aftershocks in a region long accustomed to seismic activity but still vulnerable due to remote mountainous terrain that can delay full reporting. Provincial governor data shared in local press conferences emphasized coordinated efforts between national agencies and local governments to deliver aid to affected villages.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire where the Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge making it one of the world’s most seismically active nations according to longstanding USGS records. The country experiences thousands of earthquakes annually with BMKG figures showing an average of six events each year that cause notable damage or casualties in populated areas. This latest tremor comes as a reminder of the archipelago’s exposure with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami cited in multiple agency reports as having killed more than 220,000 people across the region more than half of them in Indonesia.
