Photos: Search continues for Indonesian earthquake victims | Earthquake news
Posted August 17, 2026
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a powerful earthquake that has killed at least 68 people wait for help as rescuers search through collapsed buildings for those believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Late on Monday, the death toll was revised from 54 to 68, said Berton SP Panjaitan, an official with Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), adding that more than 200 people have been injured.
Thousands of people were evacuated following the country’s deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2022 killed hundreds of people in West Java. Many are sheltering outdoors in tents and fear returning to their homes due to the risk of aftershocks.
The earthquake has cast a somber shadow over Indonesia’s Independence Day celebrations, and residents of East Nusa Tenggara province have been shaken by nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, Panjaitan said.
The country’s geophysics agency reported a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the region on Monday morning.
The earthquake also caused landslides and blocked roads in Indonesia’s southernmost province, including the districts of Sikka and Manggarai.
Authorities have prepared planes to deliver aid, including food and tents, Panjaitan said. BNPB previously reported that around 500 homes were damaged.
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