Basarnas Accelerates Evacuation of Seven Seriously Injured NTT Earthquake Victims Using Helicopter

Basarnas has accelerated the air evacuation of seven seriously injured victims of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in East Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to the Pratama Komodo Regional Hospital in Labuan Bajo.

Head of Basarnas, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, said that by 15.00 WITA, all victims suffering serious injuries had been successfully evacuated by helicopter to receive emergency medical treatment.

“The evacuation was carried out in two rotations. The first rotation used a Dauphin helicopter carrying three victims and a medical team, while the second rotation carried four victims,” Syafii said in a statement on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.

He explained that the evacuated survivors suffered severe physical injuries from being struck by building debris, including fractures, dislocations, vertebral trauma, and serious wounds to the hands.

The use of the Dauphin helicopter on standby in the disaster area has been a vital strategy to overcome limited land access and reduce the transfer time for victims from the severely affected locations in East Manggarai to referral health facilities.

In addition to air evacuation, Syafii confirmed that Basarnas has also mobilised personnel and vessels by dispatching the Kupang SAR Office Rescue Team together with elements of the TNI, Polri, and SAR Potential using the KN SAR Antareja towards the affected coastal areas.

“The reinforcement of personnel and SAR equipment is also expected to optimise sweeping, searching, and emergency assistance for residents who still need help in the interior and island regions of NTT,” he said.

Based on preliminary data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as field coordinator, emergency response handling reports that more than 5,000 people have been displaced, either independently or in evacuation posts.

This is largely because their homes suffered light to severe damage from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday, 15 August 2026. Data collected by the joint field team recorded at least 914 houses with severe damage, 126 with moderate damage, and 317 with light damage from the earthquake tremors.

Severe damage also affected dozens of public facilities, including 93 educational facilities, 36 health facilities, and 38 government offices. As of Monday, 17 August 2026, there were hundreds of injured victims and 68 fatalities.