Flores quake and aftershocks lead to permanent closure of Nuca Molas lighthouse

Pulau Mules — On 15 August 2026 a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the north coast of Flores, damaging infrastructure across several districts and triggering a tsunami, and local tourism managers have now confirmed the permanent closure of the Nuca Molas lighthouse viewpoint on Pulau Mules as of 20 September 2026 for safety reasons.

Why it matters: The quake damage and permanent closure of the Nuca Molas lighthouse change access and safety conditions for visitors planning trips to Flores and Pulau Mules.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the shallow tectonic quake occurred at 04:58 WIB with an updated magnitude of 7.7 and an epicentre about 30 kilometres northeast of Nagekeo, at a depth of 15 kilometres beneath the sea north of Flores.

According to BMKG, the earthquake generated a tsunami recorded at 16 tide stations across four provinces, with the highest wave height observed at Pota in East Manggarai and smaller waves at several locations in Nusa Tenggara Timur, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi.

BMKG’s preliminary impact assessments, based on field information and intensity maps, indicate that the Flores quake caused at least 53 deaths and 137 injuries, with damage ranging from light to heavy in areas including West Manggarai, Manggarai, East Manggarai and Sikka, including the town of Maumere.

Tsunami early warnings were issued within minutes of the main shock and later lifted the same morning after monitoring showed water levels had stabilised, while BMKG continued to record thousands of aftershocks in the weeks that followed.

As of mid-September, BMKG officials stated that aftershock activity remained significant, with more than 14,000 events detected and the strongest recorded at magnitude 6.2, and advised residents to remain cautious around buildings already damaged by the initial quake.

On 21 September 2026 BMKG monitoring data showed that aftershocks had reached at least 17,073 events since 15 August, with the latest notable shock, at magnitude 5.1, occurring at 08:41 WIB on land about 29 kilometres northeast of Ruteng at a depth of 10 kilometres.

BMKG advised that while the sequence of quakes is gradually decaying, further small to moderate aftershocks can still be expected for several months, and its geophysics stations in Nusa Tenggara Timur continue real-time monitoring and public information updates.

The tourism impact is being felt in the Manggarai region, where the lighthouse overlooking the Nuca Molas destination on Pulau Mules, Satarmese Barat subdistrict, has been closed to visitors due to structural damage.

The head of the Nuca Molas tourism awareness group said the lighthouse was shut immediately after the 15 August quake, and inspections later found numerous cracks across the structure, confirming that the ageing building had been significantly weakened.

On Sunday 20 September 2026 he told local media that access to the top of the lighthouse is now permanently closed to tourists, explaining that the community does not want to risk further incidents given the extent of the damage and ongoing aftershocks.

Visitors to Nuca Molas can still reach the island and its coastal viewpoints, but climbing the lighthouse tower is no longer permitted, as local tourism managers emphasise that quake safety now outweighs the previously popular panoramic views from the structure.

The closure adds to broader recovery efforts across Flores, where national and regional authorities, working with BMKG’s field survey findings, are using seismic and tsunami impact data to guide reconstruction priorities and strengthen disaster mitigation for coastal and tourism areas.

Sources

• BMKG
• Okezone News
• DetikBali