Earthquakes

7.7 Quake Kills At Least 51 on Indonesia's Flores Island

Is climate change triggering more earthquakes or is tectonic activity independent of our warming planet?

AUG 15·Updated AUG 16

7.7 Quake Kills At Least 51 on Indonesia's Flores Island

Story

Above: A rescue team searches for victims in the ruins of the Laurensius Say Port in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, on Aug. 15. Image credit: Arnold Welianto/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northern coast of Flores Island in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a shallow depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and an epicenter roughly 68 kilometers (42.2 miles) north-northwest of Ende.
The Jakarta Post
Fox Weather
The Weather Channel on X
Authorities said Sunday that at least 51 people had died and 113 people suffered injuries, including 36 who were seriously injured, around 5,000 people had been evacuated, and over 3,500 military and police officers had been deployed to the affected region.
Reuters
CNA
Mario Nawfal on X
Indonesia's geophysics agency BMKG recorded the main quake at 4:58 a.m. local time, followed by at least 11 aftershocks, including a magnitude 6.1 tremor. Strong shaking lasting about one minute was felt across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and parts of South Sulawesi.
Antara News
Fox Weather
The Straits Times
Authorities issued a tsunami warning for parts of East and West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, and waves up to 0.94 meters were recorded in Ende. The warning was lifted roughly three hours after the quake.
Antara News
Daily Mail
The Times of India
About 2,000 residents in Nagekeo were evacuated following the earthquake, and damage was reported to homes, schools, government buildings and health facilities. At least one landslide was also reported, and authorities noted traffic congestion and power outages in parts of the regency.
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta Globe
CNN
Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic activity. Since 1950, 37 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater have occurred within 250 kilometers (155.3 miles) of the Saturday quake, including a magnitude 7.8 event in 1992 that triggered a tsunami, killing around 2,500 people.
The Times of India
Fox Weather
The Hindu

Sources Split

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ESTAB

The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Climate change isn't just melting ice caps — it's literally shaking the ground beneath us. As lakes shrink from rising temperatures and reduced rainfall, pressure relief on fault lines triggers more seismic and volcanic activity. Deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia is making things worse by amplifying extreme weather cycles that accelerate these conditions globally.

New Scientist

Time

Climate-skeptic narrative

Blaming earthquakes on climate change is a feel-good narrative that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. USGS data show major earthquake frequency has remained stable since 1990, with no significant uptick in magnitude 5 or higher events between 2000 and 2023. Tectonic plate movement drives seismic activity, and no credible evidence links earthquake trends to atmospheric climate processes.

PesaCheck

Narrative C

An over-focus on climate change's negative impacts can create an opportunity cost: attention and resources devoted to describing worsening risks may come at the expense of implementing practical solutions. Communities also need on-the-ground action. Forest management, fuel reduction, prescribed burning, resilient infrastructure and preparedness can reduce vulnerability today, while longer-term mitigation addresses tomorrow's risks.