A strong earthquake struck near the Flores Region in Indonesia’s waters on Saturday morning (August 15), according to local time. This incident occurred shortly after the Indonesian Navy announced it would conduct a military exercise with the Chinese Navy in the waters off the eastern coast of Taiwan.
According to the preliminary monitoring results released by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7. Initially, the center had updated the preliminary detection several times before finally revising it to 7.7.
In response, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning for some areas.
Data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre showed that the earthquake occurred on Saturday at 5:58 AM local time (21:58 Greenwich Mean Time) with a depth of approximately 35 kilometers. Subsequently, at least three aftershocks were recorded.
Currently, different seismic monitoring agencies have reported varying magnitudes and depths of the earthquake.
According to the United States Geological Survey report cited by the Associated Press, the epicenter was located about 68 kilometers northwest of Ende at a depth of about 10 kilometers.
After the strong earthquake, multiple aftershocks occurred in the same region. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre noted that one of the earthquakes was initially measured at 6.3 magnitude, later adjusted to 5.5, with a depth of about 10 kilometers.
Following the earthquake, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning. Indonesia is situated in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” known for frequent seismic activity.
The Australian Tsunami Warning Centre has announced that this undersea earthquake will not pose a tsunami threat to mainland Australia, islands, or territories.
As of the time of publication, Indonesian authorities have not disclosed specific disaster information resulting from the earthquake. The local government continues to monitor for any subsequent earthquakes and their potential impacts.
It is noteworthy that on August 11, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that in mid-August, the Chinese Navy’s Red River Ship would conduct maritime exercises with the Indonesian Navy’s “KRI” frigate in the waters east of Taiwan, focusing on communication drills and at-sea replenishment.
There have been no reports of any participating vessels being affected by the earthquake so far.