M7.7 Nagekeo Earthquake: One Dead in Maumere Building Collapse
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake that shook the Mbay area of Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has left one person dead and two others injured in Maumere, Sikka Regency. The deceased victim was found buried under the rubble of a building in the waiting room of Lorens Say Maumere Port.
Head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office (SAR) Faturahman said his team had evacuated one fatality from the site.
“We have evacuated one person who died as a result of being crushed by building rubble,” Faturahman said when contacted from Kupang on Saturday (15/8/2026) morning.
Faturahman said the victim’s identity was not yet known. The victim was found in the waiting room of Lorens Say Maumere Port, which suffered damage from the earthquake. “The waiting room has now been cleared,” he said.
Meanwhile, two other victims were found injured. Both have been taken to the nearest hospital for further treatment.
Earlier, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami early warning after the magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Mbay area of Nagekeo on Saturday morning. The early warning was later lifted after it was confirmed that there was no concerning rise in sea level.
Head of the Kupang Geophysics Station Arief Tyastama said the earthquake’s epicentre was located at coordinates 8.41 degrees south latitude and 121.39 degrees east longitude.
“Its location is approximately 30 kilometres off the coast of Mbay-Nagekeo at a depth of 15 kilometres,” he said.
As of 07.03 WITA, BMKG had issued a Level 2 Tsunami Early Warning covering a number of areas in NTT, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and Southeast Sulawesi.
In NTT, areas on alert status include northern Manggarai, northern Ngada, northern West Manggarai, northern Ende, and northern Sikka.
Meanwhile in South Sulawesi, areas on alert status include Selayar, Jeneponto, and Bantaeng.
Earlier, BMKG issued a Level 1 Tsunami Early Warning after the initial earthquake was recorded at magnitude 7.0. At that time, northern Ngada was on advisory status with an estimated tsunami arrival time of around 05.01.23 WIB.