Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake Shakes East Sumba, No Tsunami Threat

East Sumba Regency in East Nusa Tenggara was struck by a tectonic earthquake on Sunday, 1 March 2026 at 07:25:43 Western Indonesia Time (WITA).

Head of the Kupang Geophysical Station Arief Tyastama stated that the latest analysis by the Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) indicated the earthquake had a magnitude of M 4.4.

“The epicentre of the earthquake was located at coordinates 9.88° South Latitude and 120.02° East Longitude, or precisely on land approximately 26 kilometres southeast of Lewa, East Sumba, at a depth of 32 kilometres,” Arief explained in a written statement received in Kupang on Sunday morning.

According to him, considering the location of the epicentre and hypocentric depth, the earthquake that occurred was a type of shallow earthquake triggered by active fault activity in the region.

Based on community reports, earthquake vibrations were felt in East Sumba Regency with intensity IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, meaning the tremor was felt by many people inside buildings during daytime hours. “So far there have been no reports of building damage caused by the earthquake,” he stated.

Until 07:58 WITA, BMKG monitoring results also showed no aftershocks.

BMKG appealed to the public to remain calm and not be influenced by unverifiable rumours. Official information regarding the earthquake should only come from verified BMKG official communication channels.