Indonesia’s Ende hit by 5.7-magnitude earthquake, days after powerful 7.7 tremor; what we know

An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck 65 km north-northwest of Ende at a depth of 48.9 km at 12:46 am UTC on Monday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

There were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage.

The latest tremor comes days after Indonesia was hit by a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the Flores region, which was followed by roughly 1,000 aftershocks that killed at least 53 people and injured more than 100, according to disaster management officials.

7.7-magnitude quake jolts Indonesia, leaves over 13,000 displaced

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Flores region on August 15 at a depth of 10 kilometres, with the epicentre located 68 kilometres (42 miles) north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The quake struck at 5:58 am, leaving thousands of people displaced and forcing them to camp at schools, police stations and government offices while awaiting much-needed aid.

An AFP report, citing a spokesman for Indonesia's BNPB national disaster agency, said that by Monday morning, the number of people unable to return to their homes had reached 12,800, with those displaced spread across several towns on Flores Island.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency, the earthquake damaged over 1,300 homes when it struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone. Some 5,000 people were forced into temporary shelters and 135 people were injured.

A 6.4-magnitude tremor also struck the country's western Sumatra Island as rescuers raced to find survivors. Authorities have since recorded at least 995 aftershocks, but only 46 were felt by residents.

CBS News reported that officials said more than 130 residents were injured and warned that the death toll would almost certainly rise.

14-day state of emergency declared

News agency AP reported that following the massive quake and the aftershocks, the province's governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on 16 August.

Thousands of residents on Flores spent the night in tarpaulin shelters outside their damaged homes, fearing further aftershocks could cause additional destruction.

Over 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the disaster region with 275 tonnes of aid being delivered to the area, though logistical challenges have slowed deliveries to some hard-hit communities.

Indonesia, which consists of more than 17,000 islands, frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its position along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a horseshoe-shaped zone marked by numerous seismic faults and volcanoes.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Sulawesi in 2018, triggering a tsunami that claimed more than 4,400 lives. Earlier, in 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra generated a devastating tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across 12 countries, including nearly 170,000 in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

(with agency inputs)