SAR Maumere Records Earthquake Death Toll at 48, Aftershocks Still Felt
A total of 112 people have been affected by the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the north-eastern area of Mbay, Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Saturday (15/8/2026). The latest data from SAR Maumere on Sunday (16/8/2026) recorded 48 people dead and 64 others suffering serious or minor injuries.
“Based on the results of temporary data collection and verification up to 08.30 Wita, 112 people were recorded as affected by the earthquake, 48 died, and 64 suffered serious or minor injuries,” said Head of the Maumere SAR Office, Fathur Rahman, in a press release on Sunday.
Entering the second day of search and rescue (SAR) operations, the Joint SAR Team continues to expand the search and evacuation of residents affected by the earthquake.
Since 06.00 Wita, personnel together with SAR main equipment have been deployed to a number of priority points for the operation. Today’s search is focused on two main areas, namely Mbay City, Nagekeo Regency, and the Reo area, Manggarai Regency.
Fathur Rahman explained that access to a number of affected areas that had previously been hampered by landslides was beginning to be passable by officers.
“The Rescue Team of the West Manggarai SAR Post tasked with searching in the East Manggarai area, as of 06.00 Wita, has succeeded in accessing the land route in the Reo area which was previously affected by landslides. With the opening of this access, the search can be expanded again to reach areas in need of assistance,” he added.
The Joint SAR Team is still conducting sweeps and data collection at a number of locations. Coordination with various relevant elements is also being strengthened to ensure that all affected areas can be reached.
Officers are urging the public to remain calm and alert to the possibility of aftershocks. Residents are also asked to follow the instructions of officers in the field and access information from official sources.
One Mbay resident, Tessa, said aftershocks were still being felt until Sunday morning. The situation has kept residents on guard.
“The earthquake is still continuing until this morning. Last night the electricity kept going on and off and the network also kept disappearing and reappearing,” she said.
Previously, the death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) had reached 47 people. The figure was based on temporary data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Saturday (15/8/2026) at 18.48 WIB.
The 47 fatalities were located in Manggarai with 24 people, East Manggarai with 17 people, Sikka with 3 people, Ngada with 1 person, and Ende with 1 person. In addition to these victims, officers evacuated and provided medical treatment to the injured.
“Rapid assessment of the impact of the M 7.7 earthquake in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province area is still being carried out by the joint team,” said Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre, Berton SP Panjaitan, through a press release.