Hundreds of aftershocks rattled Flores as rescuers struggled to reach communities cut off by landslides and damaged roads.
MAUMERE, INDONESIA — The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Indonesia’s Flores Island rose to at least 47 on Saturday as rescuers searched damaged communities and hundreds of aftershocks continued to shake the eastern part of the country.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, known as BNPB, reported the latest deaths as emergency crews worked across East Nusa Tenggara province. At least 50 people were taken to hospitals, and officials said the toll could rise because landslides and damaged infrastructure had cut off remote communities. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, or BMKG, recorded 235 aftershocks by 2 p.m., ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 6.2.
The main earthquake struck at 4:58 a.m. Saturday, according to BMKG. The agency placed the epicenter in the sea about 30 kilometers, or 19 miles, northeast of Nagekeo in East Nusa Tenggara and said the shallow quake occurred at a depth of 15 kilometers, or about 9 miles. BMKG said the earthquake was caused by movement along the Flores Back-Arc Thrust, an active fault system north of the island.
The shaking damaged homes and public buildings across Flores. BNPB data cited by authorities showed at least 157 homes were heavily damaged, 41 had moderate damage and 148 suffered lighter damage. Damage was also reported at 87 schools, 18 health facilities, five places of worship and six government office buildings. About 2,000 people in Nagekeo left their homes, while power failures and disrupted mobile communications complicated efforts to gather information from the hardest-hit districts.
Rescue workers faced some of their biggest obstacles in Nagekeo and other remote areas. Landslides blocked roads, including sections of the Trans-Flores highway, and communications were disrupted. Officials said teams trying to reach isolated communities by road were unable to pass some landslide zones, while rescuers also sought access by sea. Authorities deployed aircraft and a rescue vessel to help move personnel and supplies across the island region.
Maumere, the main town in Sikka Regency, was among the places reporting severe damage and casualties. Rescue officials said 20 bodies had been recovered there earlier in the response, while crews searched collapsed structures. Buildings around the port were damaged, and residents fled toward higher ground after the strong shaking. The earthquake was felt across East Nusa Tenggara and neighboring areas, sending people outside before sunrise.
The earthquake also triggered a tsunami warning for parts of eastern Indonesia. BMKG issued the warning shortly after the main shock and ended it at 7:30 a.m. after monitoring showed the immediate threat had passed. The agency recorded tsunami waves at several coastal monitoring stations. Later monitoring showed a peak of about 1.61 meters, or 5.3 feet, in parts of the Manggarai area, while a 0.94-meter wave was recorded at Maurole in Ende. Smaller waves were observed at several other locations.
Aftershocks remained a major concern throughout Saturday. BMKG initially recorded 37 aftershocks by shortly after 7 a.m., but the number had climbed to 235 by 2 p.m. The agency said the sequence had not yet shown a significant decline. BMKG chief Teuku Faisal Fathani said the natural decrease in aftershock activity could take two to three weeks based on patterns observed after other damaging earthquakes, though the timing of seismic activity cannot be predicted precisely.
The earthquake struck a region with a long history of damaging seismic events. BMKG said the Flores Back-Arc Thrust was also associated with major past earthquakes, including a powerful 1992 event that generated a destructive tsunami. Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the movement of tectonic plates produces frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity across the archipelago.
Search, rescue and damage assessments were continuing Saturday as authorities worked to restore access and communications to isolated areas. BMKG continued monitoring the aftershock sequence and sea levels, while disaster agencies focused on reaching communities cut off by landslides and determining the full number of casualties and damaged buildings.
Author note: Last updated August 15, 2026.