Indonesia deploys field hospitals after M7.7 quake near Nagekeo

Kupang — Indonesia’s Health Ministry has deployed field hospitals and additional medical teams to support damaged health facilities in East Nusa Tenggara after the powerful earthquake that struck near Nagekeo on 15 August 2026.

According to the ministry, inflatable field hospitals have been established at Aeramo in Nagekeo Regency and at the regional hospital in Ruteng, Manggarai Regency, to ensure that patients requiring surgery can be treated safely amid continuing aftershocks.

In a statement issued on 26 August, the ministry said 392 health workers had been mobilised and two tent-based field hospitals set up to handle severely injured patients away from vulnerable buildings. Services at damaged hospitals have been moved outside the main structures while repairs and detailed damage assessments continue.

Hospital and primary care capacity

The ministry says services at Aeramo Hospital in Nagekeo and the regional hospital in Ruteng are being reinforced to act as referral centres for earthquake victims from surrounding districts. The field facilities are designed to provide operating theatres, emergency care and inpatient wards in structures rated safer against aftershocks than conventional buildings.

To support the wider health system in Flores and nearby islands, the Health Ministry has sent 207 medical volunteers from national-level institutions, followed by an additional 78 intensive-care volunteers who will serve for 14 days. The deployments are intended to bolster the capacity of 70 hospitals and 444 community health centres, or puskesmas, in the province that are handling casualties and routine patients during the emergency.

The ministry has also coordinated with other national agencies to ensure adequate supplies of medicines, equipment and protective gear, as facilities operate with increased patient loads and in temporary structures.

Earthquake and tsunami warning

The 15 August mainshock was recorded by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) at magnitude 7.7, at a depth of 15 kilometres, with an epicentre in the sea around 30 kilometres northeast of Nagekeo, Flores. BMKG attributed the event to activity on the Flores Back-Arc Thrust, a shallow thrust fault capable of producing strong shaking and tsunami potential.

BMKG issued a tsunami early warning shortly after the quake, covering coastal areas of East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and Southeast Sulawesi. The agency later reported that sea-level monitoring did not show dangerous changes and formally lifted the tsunami warning at 07:30 Western Indonesia Time on the same morning.

Residents in Nagekeo and several other districts reported strong shaking that prompted evacuations from coastal zones and damaged buildings, but the full extent of damage to health facilities is still being assessed by national and local authorities.

Continuing aftershocks

BMKG and regional media report that thousands of aftershocks have followed the main earthquake, with some reaching magnitudes above 5.0 and being felt in Nagekeo, Ende, Maumere and Bajawa. Officials have warned that the continuing seismic activity requires health services to be provided in structures that can better withstand further tremors.

The ministry’s decision to relocate surgical and emergency services into inflatable field hospitals reflects this concern, aiming to maintain access to critical care while reducing risk to patients and staff in damaged buildings.

Sources

• BMKG earthquake information page for 15 August 2026 M7.7 event
• Suara Surabaya article on aftershocks and tsunami warning after Nagekeo M7.7 quake
• Indonesia Health Ministry news release on field hospitals and health worker deployment after NTT quake
• Liputan6 coverage of BMKG data on 14,993 aftershocks after NTT M7.7 quake