A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia, killing 40 and thousands fleeing the coast

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday morning (August 15, 2026) in eastern Indonesia, killing at least 40 people and prompting thousands of residents to evacuate the coast for fear of rising water levels. Fath al-Rahman, the rescue operations official, reported that the death toll from the first earthquake had risen to 40 dead and 50 wounded. Thousands of kilometers away from the site of the first earthquake, a second earthquake was recorded on the island of Sumatra, west of the archipelago, two hours later, with a magnitude of 6.9. So far, no damage or casualties have been reported. The Indonesian Meteorological Authority said that the earthquake that struck North Sumatra province in Indonesia today was without the risk of a tsunami. Panic and fear of high waves. The authority stated in a statement that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 168 kilometers, and its epicenter was on land about 11 kilometers southeast of Simalungun. She said that residents felt the tremor in the areas of Tepeng Tinggi, Kapangahi and Limapuloh. Residents from the north of the island of Flores were also seen rushing to move away from the beaches for fear of a tsunami, while entire parts of the facades of some houses collapsed. The head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Suharyanto, said that there were people trapped in several buildings, stressing that they "will be the first target for rescue teams." He added that the Disaster Management Agency is preparing two helicopters and a plane to participate in rescue operations. European assistance: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered to help the European Union by using Copernicus satellites to observe the Earth. "Europe stands ready to deploy Copernicus, our eyes are in the sky to support search and rescue efforts. Indonesia, we are with you," she wrote on the X platform. The epicenter of the earthquake, which occurred at 05:58 (21:58 GMT), was located at a shallow depth, 68 kilometers from the city of Indi in East Nusa Tenggara Province, according to the US Geological Survey. Indonesia and its neighboring countries frequently witness earthquakes due to their location within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of seismically active areas extending from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific Basin. In 2004, Indonesia witnessed one of the most violent earthquakes in its history, with a magnitude of 9.1. It occurred off the coast of Sumatra Island (west) and caused a massive tsunami that killed 170,000 people across the archipelago and about 50,000 people in neighboring countries. Edited by: A.J.M