Magnitude 7.7 Quake Off Flores Topples Buildings, Kills At Least Five; Tsunami Warning Briefly Issued

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island early Saturday, collapsing homes and public buildings, killing at least five people and sparking panic across parts of East Nusa Tenggara province.

A building is seen damaged following an earthquake in East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Kurniawan)(AP Photo/Kurniawan)

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter about 68 kilometers (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende. Several aftershocks were recorded after the initial tremor.

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), rescuers inspect a damaged building following an earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)(BASARNAS via AP)

Authorities briefly issued a tsunami warning for provinces including East and West Nusa Tenggara and parts of Sulawesi, urging residents to move to higher ground. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) later canceled the alert after monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would threaten coastal communities.

In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), rescuers attempt to clear debris at building damaged by an earthquake in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)(BASARNAS via AP)

East Nusa Tenggara police chief Rudi Darmoko said early reports indicated two fatalities in Sikka Regency and three in Manggarai Regency as a result of collapsed and severely damaged buildings. Power outages across towns and villages disrupted communications and complicated search and rescue operations.

People examine the damage to a house following an earthquake in East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Kurniawan)(AP Photo/Kurniawan)

"We are continuing to collect reports of damages and casualties, but there are communication disruptions," Darmoko said.

Television footage showed hospital staff evacuating patients and moving critical equipment outdoors as a precaution. Medical teams set up temporary treatment areas with beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders outside compromised buildings to cope with emergency conditions.

Eyewitnesses reported widespread damage across much of Flores. Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka Regency, said many structures were damaged and people fled toward higher ground in panic. At St. Peter Major Seminary (Ritapiret Seminary) in Sikka, students and nuns rushed out when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed; the seminary rector said at least one priest fractured a leg after jumping from a second-floor window.

The tremor also caused alarm in Bima, on neighboring West Nusa Tenggara, and some damage was reported in parts of southern Sulawesi. Emergency crews continue to assess the full extent of the damage amid ongoing aftershocks and communications challenges.

Context

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The country has experienced several devastating quakes and tsunamis in recent decades, including a 1992 tsunami that killed roughly 2,500 people on Flores, a 2018 earthquake and tsunami in Palu that killed more than 4,400 people, a 2010 wave that struck the Mentawai Islands with hundreds dead, and the massive 2004 Sumatra quake and tsunami that killed about 230,000 people across the region.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta contributed to this report.