MBAY, INDONESIA, Aug. 15 (World Daily Times) — A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Indonesia’s Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara on Aug. 15, prompting coastal evacuations and a tsunami warning that was later lifted, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG.
The earthquake damaged homes and public buildings, triggered aftershocks and caused deaths and injuries, but the casualty total remained unsettled as disaster officials continued their assessments.
Where and when did the earthquake strike?
USGS data placed the epicenter about 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende, on or near Flores Island. BMKG gave a different reference point, placing the earthquake 30 kilometers northeast of Mbay in Nagekeo regency.
The agencies also reported different depths. USGS-based accounts put the depth at about 10 kilometers, while other agency information cited a depth of 15 kilometers. A separate figure reported by India’s National Centre for Seismology was substantially deeper and paired with a different magnitude, so it does not match the USGS and BMKG descriptions.
The timing also varied between agency accounts. USGS-based reports gave a time of 5:58 a.m. local time, while BMKG recorded the event at 4:58:24 a.m. local time. Both descriptions place the earthquake in the early morning, shortly before or around 6 a.m.
Why did people flee?
BMKG issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake and said its modeling showed tsunami potential in East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara. The agency later declared the warning over after monitoring found no significant threatening changes in sea levels.
BNPB, Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, urged residents in coastal areas to move inland or to higher ground. Abdul Muhari, a BNPB official, called for immediate self-evacuation in communities along the northern coast of Flores and in southern areas and islands.
BNPB reported that about 2,000 people in Nagekeo evacuated or relocated on their own. Residents also fled from communities in and around Maumere, Ende, Sikka, Manggarai and East Manggarai. A resident quoted by the BBC described the immediate reaction by saying that “everyone panicked and ran.”
USGS estimates cited in reports indicated that about 500,000 people experienced very strong or severe shaking. The available information does not provide the full method or uncertainty range behind that estimate.
What damage and casualties were reported?
Disaster officials reported damage to houses, health facilities, schools, government buildings, places of worship, a warehouse and other structures. The number of damaged buildings changed between updates, with reports mentioning more than 50 homes, 54 severely damaged houses and about 15 other damaged buildings.
The death toll also changed as rescue and assessment work continued. Early BNPB updates cited by the BBC and other reports gave figures ranging from one to two deaths, with injuries also reported. A later BNPB-related update cited by the BBC put the toll at at least 14. India Today later reported 20 deaths, six injuries and two people missing, but the supplied information does not identify a definitive primary government release confirming those figures.
Because the assessments were preliminary and the figures differed by update, no final casualty count can be established from the available agency information. Officials also had not provided a complete damage assessment or a confirmed, comprehensive list of missing people in the material available for this report.
Were there more earthquakes?
Aftershocks followed the main earthquake. Officials and reports cited an aftershock measuring magnitude 6.1, while additional aftershocks of magnitude 5.9 and 5.6 were also reported.
Authorities warned residents to stay away from damaged buildings and coastal areas. Search-and-rescue teams, including personnel from the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency, were deployed while officials carried out rapid damage and casualty assessments.
What remains uncertain?
The magnitude 7.7 rating and the main event location are attributed to USGS, while BMKG supplied the tsunami warning and its own event parameters. Differences in the agencies’ reported time, location and depth are common in the early stages of earthquake reporting because agencies use different networks, models and reference points.
The available information confirms a powerful earthquake, widespread evacuation activity and damage across parts of Flores and East Nusa Tenggara. It does not yet establish a final death toll, a complete accounting of injuries or the full extent of structural damage. Reports of landslides have also not been definitively confirmed by a named Indonesian authority in the available material.
