President Prabowo considers East Nusa Tenggara visit as quake death toll reaches 47

President Prabowo considers East Nusa Tenggara visit as quake death toll reaches 47

President Prabowo Subianto is considering a visit to earthquake-stricken East Nusa Tenggara province, where senior government officials are overseeing relief operations following a devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck early Saturday morning, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi announced Monday.

Speaking to reporters at Jakarta's presidential palace complex, Prasetyo said the government would assess conditions on the ground before deciding on a presidential visit. Several cabinet ministers and agency heads are already deployed in the disaster zone, he noted.

The earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time on August 15, with its epicenter located approximately 68 kilometers north-northwest of Ende city at a depth of 10 kilometers. The tremor triggered tsunamis that reached heights up to 1.61 meters in some locations, with waves recorded at 16 sites across four Indonesian provinces: East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning that was lifted at 7:30 a.m. local time.

At least 47 people have been confirmed dead, with authorities still compiling data on casualties and displaced residents. The disaster has forced approximately 5,000 people into temporary shelters after more than 900 homes were destroyed and 450 others damaged across the province. Authorities have recorded at least 995 aftershocks following the main quake, though only 46 were felt by residents. The largest aftershock measured magnitude 6.2.

Government mobilizes multi-agency response

The officials currently deployed in East Nusa Tenggara include Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggondo, and disaster agency chief Suharyanto. They are joined by Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, and Deputy Social Affairs Minister Agus Jabo Priyono.

The earthquake affected several districts across the province, which is home to approximately 5.66 million people spread across 21 regencies and one city. Nagekeo, Sikka, Manggarai, West Manggarai, and Ende districts bore the brunt of the damage. About 2,000 people were initially reported affected, though officials continue gathering comprehensive data on the disaster's full impact.

Landslides triggered by the earthquake blocked sections of the Trans-Flores Highway, a roughly 700-kilometer road linking communities across the mountainous island, hampering rescue and relief operations in remote areas.

Emergency aid dispatched to affected areas

President Prabowo ordered the government to make every effort to assist earthquake victims by deploying officials to affected locations and ensuring swift emergency response. On Saturday, authorities sent 50,000 packages of staple goods to East Nusa Tenggara to help affected residents.

In an Instagram post monitored in Jakarta on Sunday, Prabowo emphasized the government's commitment to helping disaster victims. He instructed cross-sector cooperation involving state food agency Bulog, utility companies PLN and Pertamina, and telecommunications firm Telkom Indonesia to ensure a swift, targeted response.

The president identified protecting residents and meeting their basic needs as the government's top priorities during the emergency. He pledged continued efforts to restore normal conditions in the province and expressed sympathy for grieving families.

Indonesia's seismic vulnerability

The disaster underscores Indonesia's extreme vulnerability to earthquakes. The archipelago sits at the convergence of the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Pacific tectonic plates on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000-kilometer arc where approximately 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur. Indonesia experiences an average of approximately 13,000 earthquakes annually, with about 264 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher each year.

The region has experienced deadly earthquakes before. A 1992 earthquake triggered a tsunami that killed approximately 2,500 people on Flores, while a 2018 magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Sulawesi claimed more than 4,000 lives.