East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena reported that the five victims died in building collapses while they were sleeping during the early morning tremor. Rescue teams promptly began searching damaged structures across the affected zones to determine if additional casualties had occurred. The governor’s update underscored the challenges facing responders in the region’s remote and mountainous terrain as assessments continued.
The earthquake struck near Flores Island at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time, according to U.S. Geological Survey data, with its epicenter 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende city. One aftershock measured 6.1 in magnitude, adding to the disruption felt throughout eastern Indonesia. Footage from the port city of Maumere revealed sections of a terminal building collapsing and a gangway failure that threw some passengers into the sea.
Authorities issued a tsunami warning immediately after the main shock, directing coastal residents to move inland or to higher ground as a precaution. The alert was canceled about three hours later after no major waves materialized, although surges of less than one meter were recorded in some spots. Around 2,000 residents in Nagekeo were evacuated during the initial response.
Homes, warehouses and government facilities suffered damage while power outages and communication disruptions hampered coordination, Indonesia’s national disaster agency BNPB reported. The agency urged residents to stay calm and avoid both coastal areas and any buildings showing visible cracks or structural issues. Officials noted that the full extent of destruction in isolated communities remained under review.
Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, subjecting it to frequent seismic activity that has produced catastrophic events in the past. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the Flores region in 1992 generated a large tsunami and killed more than 2,500 people while destroying thousands of homes. Historical records from disaster databases emphasize how such events compound risks across the archipelago’s vulnerable islands.
Witness reports indicated that patients fled a local hospital after walls cracked during the shaking. International coverage highlighted widespread panic as residents ran from their homes in multiple villages. Search and rescue operations were expected to intensify over the coming hours with additional resources deployed to the hardest-hit districts.
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