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CatastropheIndonesia

Why does Indonesia keep getting hit by major earthquakes?

09:41

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Anthony Howard
August 15, 2026

After a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Flores Island, DW looks at why the country is so vulnerable to major tremors and explains the tectonic forces behind them.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's Flores Island has killed at least 38 people, damaged buildings and triggered a tsunami warning that was later lifted.

DW's Anthony Howard and earthquake and tsunami researcher Nuraini Rahma Hanifa examine recent powerful quakes around the Pacific Rim — from Indonesia and Japan to the Philippines and western Colombia — and discuss how communities can prepare for further aftershocks.

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