Magnitude 5.6 earthquake — Ende, Indonesia

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the region north-northwest of Ende, on the Indonesian island of Flores, on 14 August 2026. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at 22:18 UTC with an epicentre roughly 61 km north-northwest of Ende and a focal depth of approximately 10 km, placing it in the shallow-crustal category most likely to be felt strongly at the surface. The USGS assigned the event a green alert level for both shaking and economic-loss impact, indicating that significant casualties or damage were considered unlikely, and estimated a maximum shaking intensity of around MMI V–VI (moderate) near the epicentre. No tsunami was generated by the earthquake, and USGS listed the event as reviewed by seismic analysts using data from 24 stations.

Ende, a coastal town on Flores with a population of roughly 87,000, lies in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, an area situated along the seismically active boundary where the Indo-Australian plate subducts beneath the Sunda plate, making the wider region prone to frequent moderate-to-strong earthquakes. Other nearby population centres include Maumere (around 92 km away), Ruteng, Labuan Bajo and the provincial capital Kupang, some 313 km distant. As of the USGS event page's last update, no felt reports had been logged by the public through the agency's "Did You Feel It?" system, and no reports of injuries, fatalities or structural damage had been confirmed. Given the green alert classification, USGS modelling suggested a low likelihood of substantial impact, though local authorities in Indonesia would typically assess ground conditions and any aftershock activity in the immediate aftermath of such an event.