NTT Hit by M5.6 Aftershock, No Tsunami Risk

Aftershocks in the East Nusa Tenggara region continued on Sunday (16/8/2026).

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded a magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 17:14 WIB.

BMKG confirmed that the aftershock, following yesterday’s M7.7 tremor, would not trigger a tsunami.

The earthquake was recorded at 7.93°S, 120.65°E, or 78 km northeast of Ruteng, Manggarai, NTT.

Earlier in the morning, BMKG had already recorded an aftershock with a magnitude above 5.

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake was felt at 06:12:54 WIB.

The epicentre was located 84 km northeast of Ruteng, Manggarai, NTT, at a depth of 10 km. The earthquake had no tsunami potential.

Previously, BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said that as of Saturday at 14:00 WIB, 235 aftershocks had been recorded with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 6.2. Most of the seismic activity was concentrated in the northern region of Flores Island.

BMKG is also monitoring the development of aftershock frequency over time. Based on the observed graph, the number of aftershocks has not yet entered a decay phase.

“From hour to hour we observe, until now it has not experienced decay,” Faisal said.

He explained that this condition is still considered normal in a major earthquake sequence. Based on experience from previous earthquake events, including the earthquake in North Maluku, the aftershock decay process generally takes around two to three weeks.

“Generally, decay will occur in 2-3 weeks, like the recent earthquake in North Maluku,” he explained.

Therefore, BMKG has asked the public to remain alert to the possibility of aftershocks that may still occur in the coming weeks.