Indonesia Earthquake Death Toll Rises as Rescue Teams Search Flores for Survivors
The death toll from the powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia has risen sharply as rescue teams continue searching through collapsed buildings and landslide debris on Flores Island.
The earthquake struck early Saturday, August 15, 2026, off the northern coast of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province. The disaster has left dozens dead, more than 100 people injured and thousands displaced. Initial reports put the death toll at 51, but the latest reports from rescuers indicate that the number has risen to at least 53 as additional bodies were recovered.
The strongest impact has been reported around Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo, where landslides and damaged roads have made it difficult for emergency crews to reach isolated communities.
Rescue operations have been complicated by continuing aftershocks. Nearly 1,000 aftershocks have been reported since the main earthquake, increasing fears among residents and making rescue work around damaged structures particularly dangerous.
Thousands of residents have been forced from their homes. Around 5,000 people have been displaced or evacuated, with many spending the night in temporary shelters, sports facilities or outdoors because they remain afraid that further tremors could bring damaged buildings down.
The earthquake also triggered landslides that blocked important roads, including sections of the Trans-Flores Highway. Damaged communications infrastructure has further complicated efforts to determine the full extent of the destruction in remote areas.
More than 900 homes have been damaged in East Nusa Tenggara alone, according to the latest reports, while schools, health facilities and other public buildings have also suffered significant damage.
Emergency authorities have mobilized thousands of military and police personnel to support search-and-rescue operations. Teams are concentrating on areas where people may still be trapped beneath collapsed structures or cut off by landslides.
The earthquake initially prompted a tsunami warning. The warning was subsequently lifted after authorities determined that no major tsunami threat remained, although the earthquake generated minor sea-level disturbances in the surrounding region.
The disaster has revived memories of Flores’ vulnerability to major earthquakes and tsunamis. Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and has suffered several catastrophic earthquakes in recent decades.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck Palu and Sigi in Sulawesi in 2018 caused more than 4,000 deaths after triggering a tsunami and massive liquefaction. The 2022 Cianjur earthquake in West Java killed 602 people, making it Indonesia’s deadliest non-tsunami earthquake of that period.
For communities on Flores, however, the immediate priority remains the search for survivors. Rescue teams are racing against time as unstable buildings, blocked roads, continuing aftershocks and shortages of basic supplies make access to the worst-hit areas increasingly difficult.
Authorities are expected to revise the casualty and damage figures further as rescue teams reach communities that remain difficult to access. The situation remains a developing disaster, with emergency operations continuing across the affected parts of eastern Indonesia.
