Iqbal and Koster Visit NTT Earthquake Victims, Welcomed by Laka Lena
West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, together with Bali Governor Wayan Koster, inspected the handling of victims of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Iqbal and Koster travelled to NTT as a gesture of regional solidarity among Bali, NTB, and NTT.
The arrival of Iqbal and Koster was welcomed by NTT Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena at the Main Post for Handling the M 7.7 Earthquake at the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Operations Control Centre in West Manggarai on Thursday (20/8/2026).
“We have experienced the same thing and deeply understand how it feels to face a disaster like this. We are here to convey that our brothers and sisters in NTT are not alone,” said Iqbal at the location.
Iqbal stressed that the relationship between Bali, NTB, and NTT is an inseparable bond of brotherhood. “The three of us are twin siblings. Bali, NTB, and NTT. Therefore, we will give what we can to help,” Iqbal asserted.
Meanwhile, Koster said that he and Iqbal went to NTT as a form of deep empathy among neighbouring regions. “We are brothers. If our brother experiences a disaster, of course we share the feeling and are present to provide support,” said Koster.
Melki appreciated the rapid support from Bali and NTB. Melki revealed that the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, even praised the unity of these three provinces. “Mr Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian told me that these three provinces are the most tangible and truly solid example of cooperation,” said Melki.
After inspecting the post, Iqbal and Melki continued aerial monitoring to East Manggarai using an Indonesian Army Bell 412 EP helicopter. Meanwhile, Koster remained in West Manggarai to complete the monitoring and support distribution agenda.
NTB Provincial Government spokesperson Ahsanul Khalik said the NTB Provincial Government team had moved overland from Mataram to Sape Port in Bima before crossing to Labuan Bajo. They were dispatched in two groups on Monday night due to limited ship capacity.
“Due to limited ship capacity, the crossing was carried out in two stages. The first group departed at around 9.00 pm local time, followed by the second group on Tuesday (18/8/2026),” Ahsanul explained.
Upon arrival in NTT, all personnel gathered at the West Manggarai Police Headquarters for equipment checks and task distribution with the NTT Provincial Government team. As a result of the task distribution, the NTB Provincial Government team was stationed in East Manggarai. They will establish an emergency hospital and a public kitchen to serve affected residents.
“The health team is the group that moved first towards the affected areas. Medical personnel were deployed to strengthen services at a number of hospitals and community health centres,” Ahsanul explained.
In addition to medical services, the public kitchen team has moved towards evacuation sites. Meanwhile, the logistics team distributed initial aid at the West Manggarai Post before continuing the journey to East Manggarai.
The aid brought by the NTB Provincial Government consists of food supplies, including 34 tonnes of rice, 689 boxes of instant noodles, 1,275 boxes of mineral water, 100 boxes of cooking oil, 200 kilograms of sugar, 125 basic food packages, 32 food packages, 300 cans of sardines, as well as various types of biscuits, milk and supplementary food.
They also brought evacuation supplies, including 380 tarpaulins, 1,275 blankets, 320 mats, and 275 mattresses. The NTB Provincial Government also brought family tents, emergency kits, hygiene kits, family kits and various family necessities.
Special attention was also given to women and babies. The aid distributed includes packages for pregnant women, childbirth equipment, newborn baby supplies, 3,120 sanitary pads, baby nappies and underwear for women and children.
The team also brought medicines and medical equipment, ranging from injectable drugs, tablets and syrups, intravenous fluids, vitamins, antiseptics to wound care supplies.
Ahsanul said the distribution of aid is coordinated through the NTT Earthquake Emergency Response Team under the coordination of BPBD NTT. The scheme is designed so that aid matches needs on the ground and does not pile up in one location.
“This step is important so that aid is distributed according to needs, on target, and to avoid accumulation or duplicate aid in certain locations,” Ahsanul explained.
The delivery of aid is part of a joint response across the Bali-NTB-NTT region. A number of parties contributed support, including the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Ministry of Health, Bulog, Bank Mandiri, the Indonesian Red Cross, the University of Mataram and BGR Logistik Indonesia.
According to Ahsanul, the departure of the NTB team is not merely about sending logistics, but ensuring that affected residents receive direct services, especially in the early phase of disaster handling. “The NTB medical team came bringing more than just health services. They brought care that knows no island boundaries,” said Ahsanul.