BMKG NTT Debunks Hoax Predicting Major Earthquake on 15 August 2026

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for East Nusa Tenggara has confirmed that information circulating on social media regarding a predicted major earthquake on 15 August 2026 at 09.00 WITA is a hoax and has no scientific basis.

“The information is untrue, or a hoax,” said Head of the Kupang Geophysics Station Arief Tyastama in an official statement in Kupang on Saturday.

He said the circulating information contained a narrative about a warning of a major aftershock said to occur on 15 August 2026 at 09.00 WITA.

He explained that scientifically, earthquakes to this day cannot be predicted precisely, whether in terms of time of occurrence, location, or magnitude.

Available science and technology, he continued, is only able to detect earthquakes after they occur, determine earthquake parameters such as magnitude, depth and epicentre location, and analyse tsunami potential if certain conditions are met.

Therefore, he stressed that claims regarding predictions of a major earthquake occurring on a specific date and time have no scientific basis and are not an official BMKG statement.

BMKG NTT urged the public to remain calm and not be influenced by information whose veracity cannot be accounted for.

The public was also asked not to disseminate unverified information and to improve literacy regarding disaster information.

Arief said official information regarding earthquakes, tsunamis and other geophysical phenomena is conveyed through official BMKG channels quickly, precisely and accurately.

The public can obtain official information through the website www.bmkg.go.id, the verified social media account @infoBMKG, and the Info BMKG application.

Previously, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook the Flores Island region of NTT on Saturday at 05.58 WITA.

Based on BMKG information, the earthquake’s epicentre was at coordinates 8.35 South Latitude and 121.37 East Longitude, or approximately 36 kilometres northeast of Mbay, Nagekeo Regency, at a depth of 10 kilometres.