Magnitude 5.5 earthquake — Ruteng, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 76 kilometres north of Ruteng, the highland administrative capital of Manggarai Regency on Flores Island in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, on 16 August 2026 at 06:51:47 UTC, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake originated at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres beneath the seabed, roughly midway between Flores and Sulawesi, placing the epicentre in the Flores Sea rather than on land. USGS located the event at 7.9322°S, 120.5855°E, and its analysis, based on data from 62 seismic stations, was subsequently reviewed and confirmed by agency seismologists.

The USGS assigned the earthquake a green PAGER alert, its lowest severity rating, indicating little to no expected fatalities or significant economic loss. No tsunami was generated, and the agency recorded no "felt" reports from the public in the immediate aftermath, suggesting the shaking was not strongly perceived onshore, consistent with the epicentre's offshore location and the modelled maximum Modified Mercalli Intensity of around IV (light to moderate shaking) at the strongest point. The region sits within a seismically active zone shaped by the collision of the Australian and Sunda tectonic plates, which produces frequent moderate earthquakes across the Lesser Sunda Islands, though this particular event does not appear to have caused reported damage or casualties.