Unusually powerful M7.8 Earthquake hit in the Flores Sea near Ende (Indonesia) on Saturday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 14th, 2026. Last updated September 5th, 2026.

In the early morning of Saturday August 15th, 2026, an unusually powerful M7.8 earthquake hit in the Flores Sea 65 kilometer from Ende, Indonesia. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Flores Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (10 mi offshore), 65 kilometer northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara. 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:	Aug 15, 2026 05:58 (Makassar Time) - Aug 14, 2026 21:58 Universal Time.
Location:	65 km NW of Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°21'5"S 121°20'52"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.8 Detected by 89 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.033 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential Tsunami Risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

At least 111 persons killed, 1,678 injured, 27,414 homes destroyed and 68,153 damaged in East Nusa Tenggara. 3,614 buildings, and 3 roads were damaged by landslides. Power outages occurred In East Nusa Tenggara. A tsunami with a maximum height was reported in the following locations: 1.61 m in Reok, Manggarai Regency; 0.94 m in Maurole, Ende Regency; 0.3 m at Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara and 0.17 m at Dompu.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 43% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 91% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 1,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 45% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 93% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 23 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 23 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VIII, which corresponds with severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage. Roughly 23,000 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 14 million). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Indonesia , around 22 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). Roughly 1.4 million people were exposed to shaking in Timor-Leste .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ende in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Ende is located 65 kilometer (40 mi) northwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ende is estimated to be around level VII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Makassar is located 414 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Surabaya is located 955 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Denpasar is located 675 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 52 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 52 people have reported shaking in 17 places in 3 countries (Indonesia, East Timor, Philippines).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Ruteng, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 23 people.
• Kuta, Bali, Indonesia: 5 people.
• Ubud, Bali, Indonesia: 4 people.
• Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Waingapu, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Maumere, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Praya, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Dili, Dili, East Timor: 2 people.
• Gedangan, Jawa Timur, Indonesia: 1 person.
• Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines: 1 person.

1008 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1008 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 30 mins later 25 km (15 mi) east of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 2 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.6 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks