Magnitude 5.5 earthquake — Ruteng, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck the sea north-east of Flores island, Indonesia, at 16:17 UTC on 19 August 2026, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The quake was centred approximately 52 kilometres north-north-east of Ruteng, the capital of Manggarai Regency in East Nusa Tenggara province, at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Shallow earthquakes of this kind are typically felt more intensely at the surface than deeper events of similar magnitude, though the epicentre's offshore location meant the strongest shaking occurred away from populated areas. USGS assigned the event a Green alert level, its lowest classification, indicating minimal expected impact and casualties.

The agency's automated ground-failure assessments found low hazard levels for both landslides and liquefaction in the surrounding region, and no tsunami was generated as a result of the earthquake. USGS's "Did You Feel It?" system had logged only a single felt report at the time of its assessment, corresponding to a Community Determined Intensity of around 2.5 (weak shaking), suggesting limited disruption on Flores itself. The region sits within a tectonically active area near the Flores back-arc thrust and the broader Banda Sea subduction zone, where seismic activity is common; no reports of damage, injuries or significant aftershocks affecting communities had been confirmed by USGS at the time of writing.