Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 132km from Singkil (Indonesia) on Sunday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 18th, 2026. Last updated April 19th, 2026.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 132 kilometer from Singkil, Indonesia deep in the night of Sunday April 19th, 2026. Around 3.1 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (2 mi offshore), 132 kilometer southwest of Singkil in Aceh. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 19, 2026 03:06 (Jakarta Time) - Apr 18, 2026 20:06 Universal Time.
Location:	132 km SW of Singkil, Aceh, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°15'10"N 97°12'24"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	18 km (11 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 3.1 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.1 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 520 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
173,100	II	Very weak	None
2,154,000	III	Weak	Probably none
704,100	IV	Light	Likely none
114,600	V	Moderate	Very light
520	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 132 kilometer (82 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Singkil (Aceh, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. Singkil experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Major cities near this earthquake: Binjai is located 297 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pematangsiantar is located 281 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Padangsidempuan is located 230 km to the 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)
132 km (82 mi) NE from epicenter	Singkil Aceh, Indonesia.	IV Light
183 km (114 mi) E from epicenter	Sibolga North Sumatra, Indonesia.	III Weak
230 km (143 mi) E from epicenter	Padangsidempuan North Sumatra, Indonesia.
234 km (145 mi) NE from epicenter	Tongging North Sumatra, Indonesia.	II Weak
250 km (155 mi) NE from epicenter	Kabanjahe North Sumatra, Indonesia.
260 km (162 mi) NE from epicenter	Berastagi North Sumatra, Indonesia.
281 km (175 mi) NE from epicenter	Pematangsiantar North Sumatra, Indonesia.
296 km (184 mi) E from epicenter	Bandar North Sumatra, Indonesia.
297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter	Binjai North Sumatra, Indonesia.
300 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter	Deli Tua North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

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.

10 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 10 smaller aftershocks. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 15 km (10 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 2.9 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 2.9	1 day earlier Apr 17, 2026 16:22 (Jakarta Time)	31 km (19 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	Apr 19, 2026 03:06 (Jakarta Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.7	19 mins later Apr 19, 2026 03:25 (Jakarta Time)	25 km (15 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	22 mins later Apr 19, 2026 03:28 (Jakarta Time)	13 km (8 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	25 mins later Apr 19, 2026 03:32 (Jakarta Time)	24 km (15 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	44 mins later Apr 19, 2026 03:50 (Jakarta Time)	26 km (16 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	1 hr later Apr 19, 2026 04:27 (Jakarta Time)	14 km (9 mi) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	1 hr later Apr 19, 2026 04:33 (Jakarta Time)	33 km (21 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.8	2 hrs later Apr 19, 2026 04:43 (Jakarta Time)	33 km (20 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.7	3 hrs later Apr 19, 2026 06:02 (Jakarta Time)	26 km (16 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	4 hrs later Apr 19, 2026 07:01 (Jakarta Time)	18 km (11 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	4 hrs later Apr 19, 2026 07:04 (Jakarta Time)	15 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since March 3rd, 2026, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 101 km (63 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2023.

In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 7 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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 19/04/26 00:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.