August 16, 2026 | 07:46 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, dispatched 50,000 presidential aid packages of basic necessities for communities affected by a 7.7 Magnitude earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
"At least 50,000 packages of basic necessities as presidential aid have been dispatched to Maumere for affected communities," Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a press statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
According to Teddy, the President had instructed Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo, Head of National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) Suharyanto, and Head of National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Mohammad Syafii to travel directly to Labuan Bajo and Maumere.
President Prabowo also instructed Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, Deputy Social Affairs Minister Agus Jabo Priyono, as well as teams from PT PLN (Persero), PT Pertamina (Persero), and Bulog to move quickly to assist in disaster response efforts.
"President Prabowo has ordered all government agencies to move quickly to respond to the disaster and ensure that affected communities receive the assistance they need," Teddy added.
At a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday, BNPB Head Suharyanto said the presidential aid sent by Prabowo would be immediately distributed to residents in need.
"We will immediately send it to help meet initial logistical needs in the disaster-affected areas," he said.
The government will ensure that various essential needs of earthquake-affected residents are met, including food and beverages, clean water, tents or temporary shelters, generators, and other emergency supplies.
The government will also optimize available logistical supplies in areas surrounding the disaster site.
Suharyanto explained that the Ministry of Social Affairs would relocate supplies from neighboring districts, including East Flores, that had been less severely affected or unaffected by the earthquake within the next one to two days.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and BNPB still have stocks of essential supplies in a logistical warehouse that can be immediately deployed to assist affected communities.
According to BNPB's data as of 3 p.m. local time, the earthquake had killed 38 people, while two people suffered serious injuries, and 11 others sustained minor injuries. In addition, 2,000 people evacuated independently.
Manggarai District was the area most severely affected by the disaster, followed by East Manggarai District.
Read: Flores Earthquake Death Toll Surges to 47
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