Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia; aftershocks continue

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake jolted East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, on Wednesday night, centered on land in Ruteng, Manggarai Regency, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported the tremor occurred at 23:17 WIB and did not pose a tsunami risk. However, the shaking was significantly felt across several regencies, including Manggarai, West Manggarai, Nagekeo, and East Sumba, with intensities ranging from III to IV MMI.

This latest earthquake is part of an ongoing sequence of aftershocks in the Flores Back-Arc tectonic zone, following a major 7.7 magnitude quake. BMKG has recorded thousands of smaller seismic events, with the largest aftershock measuring 6.2 magnitude. Head of BMKG, Teuku Faisal Fathani, indicated that the dissipation of these aftershocks could take a considerable time, estimating three to four more weeks.

As of Wednesday at 17:00 WIB, BMKG had logged a total of 3,055 aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 1.1 to 6.2, with 88 of these felt by the public. BMKG continues to monitor seismic activity in real-time and provides updates to affected residents and those in evacuation centers. The agency strongly advises people in Flores and surrounding areas to remain cautious, avoid occupying buildings with structural cracks to prevent collapse from potential aftershocks, and to stay calm by relying only on official information from verified BMKG channels.

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Because this was a large earthquake, 7.7 magnitude, its dissipation requires approximately three to four weeks.