Shallow M5.6 Earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 193km from Bengkulu (Indonesia) on Saturday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 27th, 2025. Last updated January 8th, 2026.

In the morning of Saturday December 27th, 2025, a shallow and significant M5.6 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 193 kilometer from Bengkulu, Indonesia. Around 2.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (5 mi offshore), 193 kilometer south of Bengkulu. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 27, 2025 07:22 (Jakarta Time) - Dec 27, 2025 00:22 Universal Time.
Location:	193 km south of Bengkulu, Indonesia. Coordinates 5°31'58"S 102°18'51"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 11 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.093 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.4 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 70 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
262,100	II	Very weak	None
2,161,000	III	Weak	Probably none
950	IV	Light	Likely none
2,630	V	Moderate	Very light
70	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 193 kilometer (120 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Bengkulu (Bengkulu, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bengkulu is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Bengkulu is located 193 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Lubuklinggau is located 256 km to the north-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Baturaja is located 258 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
193 km (120 mi) N from epicenter	Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia.	III Weak
197 km (122 mi) NNE from epicenter	Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia.	III Weak
230 km (143 mi) N from epicenter	Curup Bengkulu, Indonesia.
237 km (147 mi) NE from epicenter	Lahat South Sumatra, Indonesia.	III Weak
242 km (150 mi) NE from epicenter	Tanjungagung South Sumatra, Indonesia.	II Weak
256 km (159 mi) NNE from epicenter	Lubuklinggau South Sumatra, Indonesia.
258 km (160 mi) NE from epicenter	Baturaja South Sumatra, Indonesia.
295 km (183 mi) ENE from epicenter	Kotabumi Lampung, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

6 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 6 smaller aftershocks. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 48 mins later 5 km (2.8 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.6	1 day earlier Dec 26, 2025 01:17 (Jakarta Time)	15 km (9 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.6	Dec 27, 2025 07:22 (Jakarta Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.8	35 mins later Dec 27, 2025 07:57 (Jakarta Time)	17 km (11 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 5.2	48 mins later Dec 27, 2025 08:10 (Jakarta Time)	5 km (2.8 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	1 hr later Dec 27, 2025 08:26 (Jakarta Time)	56 km (35 mi) NNE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	1 hr later Dec 27, 2025 08:39 (Jakarta Time)	91 km (56 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.9	3 hrs later Dec 27, 2025 10:00 (Jakarta Time)	9 km (5 mi) WNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	2 days later Dec 29, 2025 01:42 (Jakarta Time)	86 km (53 mi) NE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 22nd, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 172 km (107 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.

In total, 12 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 months.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 08/01/26 01:18 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.