Strong 6.1-magnitude quake damages homes, schools in Indonesia’s West Sumba
KUPANG, Indonesia – A 6.1‑magnitude earthquake struck the Sumba Barat Daya district of East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday morning, damaging houses, a mosque, government offices and an Islamic primary school. The tremor was…
Source: Utusan Malaysia · October 4, 2026 at 11:32 AM · AI-assisted report
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SUMBA BARAT DAYA, SUMBA BARAT, MANGGARAI BARAT (EAST NUSA TENGGARA), ACEH (CALANG, ACEH BESAR, BANDA ACEH, ACEH BARAT, ACEH SELATAN, PIDIE JAYA, BENER MERIAH, NAGAN RAYA, ACEH TENGAH, SIGLI), 4 OCTOBER 2026 —
KUPANG, Indonesia – A 6.1‑magnitude earthquake struck the Sumba Barat Daya district of East Nusa Tenggara on Sunday morning, damaging houses, a mosque, government offices and an Islamic primary school.
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The tremor was felt for about a minute across Sumba Barat Daya, Sumba Barat and Manggarai Barat, according to the director of seismology at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Teguh Rahayu.
Rahayu said the shaking caused ceramic items to break and windows and doors to crack. “Some walls collapsed and the chimney of a factory was damaged,” he added. The quake also killed a 73‑year‑old resident who was outside when the ground shook.
Police in the Kodi Utara sector reported the death, and the sector chief, AKP Bernadus Bili Kandi, said the elderly man had been startled by the sudden tremor, fell, lost consciousness and died a few minutes later.
A second, 5.9‑magnitude quake hit the Calang area of Aceh about 42 minutes after the Sumba event, at 6.37 a.m. local time. Its epicentre lay roughly 68 km southwest of Calang at a depth of 26 km. BMKG noted that the shaking was felt in several Aceh districts, including Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh, Aceh Barat, Aceh Selatan, Pidie Jaya, Bener Meriah, Nagan Raya, Aceh Tengah and Sigli. Neither earthquake was expected to trigger a tsunami.
The twin shocks, occurring within an hour of each other, highlighted the seismic vulnerability of Indonesia’s eastern islands. The BMKG has urged residents in the affected districts to remain alert for aftershocks and to follow safety guidelines issued by local authorities.
Related: Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)