The aftershock comes two days after a magnitude 7.7 quake shook six regencies on the predominantly Catholic island
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenReutersandAssociated PressPublished: 9:29am, 17 Aug 2026An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Indonesia’s Flores region on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said, hitting at a depth of 10km (six miles).The aftershock comes two days after a magnitude 7.7 quake shook six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in the Muslim-majority country.
Rescue teams in eastern Indonesia recovered six more bodies on Sunday, raising the death toll to 53, authorities said, as many of the thousands of displaced people spent the night outdoors in fear of aftershocks.
Rescuers dug through debris looking for anyone buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across They focused on three regencies that remained inaccessible: hardest-hit Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo.
“We have cleared most landslides and reopened roads to previously isolated villages, although communication disruptions and power outages continue to hamper search efforts,” said Fathur Rahman, head of the search-and-rescue office in Maumere, the capital of Sikka regency.
01:19Deadly magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits eastern Indonesia, prompting evacuation and rescueMore than 900 homes were destroyed and 450 more damaged in East Nusa Tenggara province, forcing about 5,000 people into temporary shelters. At least 241 homes were damaged in the Flores region alone, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency’s chief for disaster prevention.
