Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Powerful Quakes Rock Indonesia, Leaving 40 Dead on Flores Island
On Saturday, a very big earthquake shook the island of Flores in Indonesia.
The earthquake was so strong that people felt the ground shake for about a whole minute.
It damaged many homes, and sadly, at least 40 people lost their lives.
More than 50 people were hurt, so helpers and doctors went to take care of them.
The ground kept shaking afterward with more than 50 smaller earthquakes called aftershocks.
People who lived near the coast were told to move to higher ground, because big earthquakes can sometimes push giant waves called tsunamis.
Later, officials said the danger had passed and lifted the warning.
That same day, another large earthquake shook a different part of Indonesia called North Sumatra.
Indonesia has many earthquakes because it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where big pieces of the Earth's crust meet and move around.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores Island around 6 a.m. Saturday local time, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted.
At least 40 people were killed and at least 50 injured on Flores, with 70 homes damaged from severe to light.
About 13 hours later, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Pematangsiantar in North Sumatra, with no initial reports of casualties or damage.
Officials evacuated about 2,000 residents and transferred patients and essential equipment out of several hospitals.
At least 52 aftershocks followed the main quake, with magnitudes ranging from 3.6 to 6.2.
- Who
- Residents of Flores Island, including people in the Nagekeo, Sikka and West Manggarai regencies, along with Indonesian disaster officials such as Maumere search and rescue head Fathur Rahman.
- What
- A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Flores Island killing at least 40 people and injuring at least 50, followed about 13 hours later by a magnitude 6.9 quake in North Sumatra.
- When
- Saturday, with the Flores quake striking around 6 a.m. local time and the Sumatra quake about 13 hours later.
- Where
- Off Flores Island near Ende, about 800 kilometers east of Bali, and later at Pematangsiantar in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Why
- Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines and volcanoes that causes frequent seismic upheavals.
- Magnitude (Flores quake)
- 7.7
- Magnitude (North Sumatra quake)
- 6.9
- Deaths
- At least 40
- Injuries
- At least 50
- Aftershocks
- At least 52, ranging from 3.6 to 6.2
- Residents evacuated
- About 2,000
- Homes damaged
- 70, ranging from severe to light
- Tsunami warning
- Issued after the Flores quake, later lifted