On Tuesday Afternoon a Significant M5.8 Earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 190km from Labuan Bajo (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2026. Last updated May 6th, 2026.

In the Indian Ocean 190 kilometer from Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.8 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Tuesday May 5th, 2026. Around 3 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 41 kilometers (25 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 190 kilometer south of Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 36 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 5, 2026 14:44 (Makassar Time) - May 5, 2026 06:44 Universal Time.
Location:	190 km south of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 10°6'49"S 119°19'28"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth:	36 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 684,600 people are expected to be exposed to this level. 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 .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Waingapu in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Waingapu is located 115 kilometer (71 mi) southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Waingapu is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

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

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

36 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 36 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 19 mins later 4 km (2.5 mi) south of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 8 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 2 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 7 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 22nd, 2019, when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 48 km (30 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 2 years.

Low tsunami risk

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

Sources

Last updated 06/05/26 11:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000sicu
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260505_0000131
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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