986 Tourists Temporarily Stranded on Padar Island After M7 Earthquake in NTT

A total of 986 tourists were temporarily stranded on Padar Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Mbay-Nagekeo area on Saturday morning (15/8). The Tourism Ministry said the tourists were held back due to the temporary suspension of sea travel as part of safety measures following the earthquake and the issuance of a tsunami early warning. According to a Tourism Ministry press release, all tourists on Padar Island have now been successfully repatriated. They arrived safely in Labuan Bajo after port authorities issued a notice reopening sea travel. The Tourism Ministry, together with the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority (BPOLBF), ensured that tourist safety was the priority in handling the earthquake’s impact in the tourism areas of Flores, Alor, Lembata, and Bima. In addition to tourists on Padar Island, all hotel guests in the Labuan Bajo area were also evacuated to several safe points outside buildings. Locations used as evacuation points included the Natas Parapuar area and the Komodo Regional Hospital field. Tourists who had previously been evacuated from the Meurorah Hotel to Puncak Waringin have also returned to their respective accommodations. Meanwhile, flight operations at Komodo Airport continued with restrictions after technical inspections were carried out. Sea travel activities were also gradually reopened. The Tourism Ministry also said that the entire closing series of the Golo Koe Festival in West Manggarai, including mass, concerts, and an MSME exhibition, was halted as part of efforts to prioritise safety. The earthquake also affected a number of tourism facilities in Flores. BPOLBF recorded that the Jayakarta Hotel in West Manggarai suffered damage to several parts of the building. All hotel guests and employees were reported safe and have been moved to other hotels deemed secure. In Nagekeo, the Papita Mbay Hotel was reported to have suffered severe damage. BPOLBF is still coordinating further handling. Meanwhile, a number of hotels in Labuan Bajo, such as Ayana, Ta’aktana Marriott, Crown, Menjaga Bay, Luwansa, Sudamala, and Meurorah, were generally still in safe condition. Some only experienced minor cracks. Several restaurants were also reported to have suffered minor damage. Damage also occurred to tourism support facilities. The wall of the Loh Liang area signboard on Komodo Island was reported to have collapsed. In several areas of Flores, the earthquake also caused landslides and toppled electricity poles, affecting several main routes, including Labuan Bajo-Ruteng, Bajawa-Ende, Ruteng-Borong, and Ende-Moni. The tsunami early warning previously issued by BMKG was lifted at 07.30 WIB or 08.30 WITA. Nevertheless, tourists and residents in Flores were asked to remain calm and follow official information because aftershocks could still occur.