M7 Earthquake Strikes NTT, Damages Hotels and Public Facilities

A number of buildings were damaged after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Saturday (15/8). The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) initially recorded the quake at magnitude 7.0, which occurred at 05:58 WITA, before revising its strength to M7.7. CNN Indonesia’s observations on the ground recorded building damage at several points in Labuan Bajo. One of the most affected was the Hotel Jayakarta, where the hotel lobby, walls, and a number of tables and chairs suffered quite severe damage. BMKG urged the public to remain calm, follow official instructions from BMKG, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), and not to spread information whose veracity cannot be accounted for.