Jakarta, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Flores region on August 15 has risen to 100, while more than 180,000 people remain displaced, the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Monday.
BNPB chief Suharyanto said the number of fatalities increased after several people who had sustained serious injuries succumbed while undergoing treatment. The quake has also left 1,603 people injured.
Authorities have recorded 6,409 aftershocks since the main tremor, including 33 measuring 5.0 or higher. The strongest aftershock registered a magnitude of 6.2.
The earthquake damaged a large number of public facilities, including 87 educational institutions, 18 health facilities, five places of worship and six government offices.
Suharyanto appealed to residents to ignore misinformation about the possibility of a stronger earthquake or another tsunami, saying aftershock activity had been declining in recent days. Authorities, however, warned that aftershocks could continue for another three to four weeks, although their frequency and intensity are expected to gradually decrease.
Government agencies continue to distribute relief supplies to displaced residents, including communities in remote areas.
According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), the earthquake’s epicentre was located 36 km northeast of Mbay in East Nusa Tenggara province, at a depth of 15 km. The agency had issued a tsunami warning following the main tremor.
Meanwhile, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences reported that a magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck the Flores region at 2120 GMT on Sunday. Its epicentre was initially located at 8.33 degrees south latitude and 120.69 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 10 km.
Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire and has more than 120 active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most seismically and volcanically active countries.
The country has experienced several devastating earthquakes, including the 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra in 2004 that triggered a massive tsunami, killing around 220,000 people across the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia.
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