Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake Off Indonesia's Flores Island Leaves at Least 38 Dead, Rescue Operations Widen

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Flores Island in the early hours of Saturday, killing at least 38 people and setting off a widening rescue effort across some of the country's hardest-hit eastern regencies. Indonesian authorities said the toll was expected to climb further as search teams reached areas cut off by landslides and damaged infrastructure.

What Happened

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at around 5:58 a.m. local time at a shallow depth of roughly 10 to 15 kilometres, with its epicentre about 68 kilometres north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more intense surface shaking, and this one was followed within the hour by a series of aftershocks, including one measuring magnitude 6.1. By Saturday afternoon local time, Indonesia's meteorology agency (BMKG) had recorded roughly 235 aftershocks across the region.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the deaths were concentrated in three of the worst-affected regencies — Sikka, West Manggarai and East Manggarai — with eight bodies alone recovered from a single landslide in the village of Reok. Officials also reported two people with serious injuries, eleven with minor injuries, and close to 2,000 residents who evacuated on their own to higher ground as a precaution.

Tsunami Warning Issued, Then Lifted

BMKG issued a tsunami warning immediately after the quake for coastal areas across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, urging residents to move at least two kilometres inland or to higher ground. Small waves under a metre high were detected at a few points before the agency lifted the warning roughly three hours later, after monitoring showed no significant further changes in sea level.

Damage and Disruption

Local authorities described widespread structural damage, including a collapsed terminal building at the port of Maumere, where footage showed debris falling near ferry passengers. Landslides triggered by the quake blocked sections of the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometre mountain road that links towns across the island, while power outages and communication disruptions in several areas have slowed the flow of information to rescue coordinators. Hospitals in some towns moved patients and equipment outdoors as a precaution.

Nearly 1,000 tourists were temporarily stranded on Padar Island, near the Komodo National Park gateway town of Labuan Bajo, after ferry services were suspended; officials said they were later transported back safely once shipping resumed. Tremors were also felt as far as Bima in West Nusa Tenggara and parts of southern Sulawesi.

BNPB has deployed a helicopter to support logistics and evacuation efforts in East Nusa Tenggara, a province made up of numerous islands where transport access is limited even in normal conditions. Meteorological officials said aftershock activity typically tapers off gradually over two to three weeks, based on patterns observed after previous major quakes in the region.

A Region Prone to Major Quakes

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is among the world's most seismically active nations. The same stretch of coastline was struck by a comparably powerful earthquake in December 1992, when the resulting tsunami killed more than 2,500 people on Flores. Authorities said experts would begin mapping soil conditions across the affected region to guide reconstruction and earthquake-resistant rebuilding.

This article is an original editorial summary based on publicly reported information. It has been independently written for publication and does not reproduce content from any single source.