Double whammy: Second 6.5 quake hits Indonesia as deaths from Flores tremor reaches 38
The double strike highlights Indonesia’s position along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a 40,000-km arc of active fault lines and volcanoes encircling the Pacific Basin. The region experiences roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes.
- Aug 15, 2026,
- Updated Aug 15, 2026 6:32 PM IST
Indonesia was rattled by a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake on Saturday afternoon, compounding the devastation of an earlier 7.7-magnitude tremor that leveled structures and killed at least 38 people across eastern parts of the archipelago.
The latest tremor struck at 4:24 pm local time, according to seismic monitoring agencies. While initial reports indicated no immediate additional casualties from the 6.5 quake — partly owing to its depth of 165 kilometers beneath the surface — it sent fresh waves of panic through a populace already reeling from the morning's disaster.
The sea pulled back from the shore as buildings groaned and gave way. Residents in East Nusa Tenggara scrambled onto foot paths and crowded into pickup trucks, desperately chasing higher ground before the next shock wave hit.
ours earlier, the shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Flores Island near the town of Ende, destroying homes, cracking hospital walls, and triggering landslides that cut off access to remote towns. Emergency crews in hard-hit regencies like Nagekeo and Manggarai spent the day sifting through collapsed concrete and wooden debris to locate trapped survivors.
"Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, two were seriously injured, 11 sustained minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people have evacuated on their own," said National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto during a news conference detailing the damage from the first quake.
In Maumere, panic swept through a local facility as the ground began to roll. "Patients also fled the hospital, the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked," recounted Lukas Lotar, a hospital customer service official who witnessed the evacuation. Nearby at L. Say port, rescue workers managed to pull two survivors and one deceased victim from the wreckage of a partially collapsed building.
The double strike highlights Indonesia’s position along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a 40,000-km arc of active fault lines and volcanoes encircling the Pacific Basin. The region experiences roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes due to the constant subduction and collision of tectonic plates — including the Indo-Australian, Pacific, and Eurasian plates — forcing immense mechanical pressure to build until it snaps.
The Ring of Fire has seen heightened seismic activity in recent weeks. Major tremors along the belt include a massive 7.3-magnitude quake off the coast of Puerto Madero, Mexico, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Kumamoto region of Japan, and a 6.3-magnitude quake in Sarangani, Philippines.
Rescue operations across Indonesia remain focused on clearing landslip-blocked roads to reach isolated communities, while disaster officials monitor the region for further aftershocks.
Indonesia was rattled by a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake on Saturday afternoon, compounding the devastation of an earlier 7.7-magnitude tremor that leveled structures and killed at least 38 people across eastern parts of the archipelago.
The latest tremor struck at 4:24 pm local time, according to seismic monitoring agencies. While initial reports indicated no immediate additional casualties from the 6.5 quake — partly owing to its depth of 165 kilometers beneath the surface — it sent fresh waves of panic through a populace already reeling from the morning's disaster.
The sea pulled back from the shore as buildings groaned and gave way. Residents in East Nusa Tenggara scrambled onto foot paths and crowded into pickup trucks, desperately chasing higher ground before the next shock wave hit.
ours earlier, the shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Flores Island near the town of Ende, destroying homes, cracking hospital walls, and triggering landslides that cut off access to remote towns. Emergency crews in hard-hit regencies like Nagekeo and Manggarai spent the day sifting through collapsed concrete and wooden debris to locate trapped survivors.
"Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead, two were seriously injured, 11 sustained minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people have evacuated on their own," said National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto during a news conference detailing the damage from the first quake.
In Maumere, panic swept through a local facility as the ground began to roll. "Patients also fled the hospital, the jolt was big. I saw some walls were cracked," recounted Lukas Lotar, a hospital customer service official who witnessed the evacuation. Nearby at L. Say port, rescue workers managed to pull two survivors and one deceased victim from the wreckage of a partially collapsed building.
The double strike highlights Indonesia’s position along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a 40,000-km arc of active fault lines and volcanoes encircling the Pacific Basin. The region experiences roughly 90% of the world's earthquakes due to the constant subduction and collision of tectonic plates — including the Indo-Australian, Pacific, and Eurasian plates — forcing immense mechanical pressure to build until it snaps.
The Ring of Fire has seen heightened seismic activity in recent weeks. Major tremors along the belt include a massive 7.3-magnitude quake off the coast of Puerto Madero, Mexico, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Kumamoto region of Japan, and a 6.3-magnitude quake in Sarangani, Philippines.
Rescue operations across Indonesia remain focused on clearing landslip-blocked roads to reach isolated communities, while disaster officials monitor the region for further aftershocks.