Ministry of Religious Affairs in West Manggarai, NTT, records damage to houses of worship and madrasahs following earthquake

The Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in West Manggarai Regency is recording damage to houses of worship and madrasahs following the earthquake in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, to ensure public safety and accelerate reporting and handling of the damage.

“We continue to carry out data collection and field verification. Our priority is to ensure the safety of worshippers, students, teachers, and civil servants, while gathering accurate data on damage to houses of worship and madrasahs for reporting through the proper channels,” said Head of the West Manggarai Ministry of Religious Affairs Office Fransiskus Xaverius Adi in a statement received in Kupang on Tuesday.

He directly inspected Pura Agung Giri Segara Labuan Bajo, MTsN 2 West Manggarai, Darul Ilmi Mosque, and the homes of Ministry of Religious Affairs civil servants affected by the quake to assess conditions on the ground and speed up hierarchical reporting to the East Nusa Tenggara Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Based on preliminary reports from the West Manggarai Ministry of Religious Affairs, a number of houses of worship have suffered damage of varying degrees.

Affected locations include Pura Agung Giri Segara Labuan Bajo, as well as several churches and stations in the Ndoso, Kuwus, Sanonggoang, Mbeliling, Komodo, and Boleng areas.

In addition, several mosques have been affected, including Darul Ilmi Mosque at MTsN 2 West Manggarai, Uswatun Karimah Mosque in Warsawe, Al Huda Mosque in Rangko, Ibnu Samir Mosque in Daleng, Al Muttakin Mosque in Tureng, Al-Munawwarah Mosque in Terang, Baiturrahman Mosque, and Nurul Amin Mosque in Translok.

Damage has also been reported to madrasah educational facilities. At MTsN 2 West Manggarai, several parts of the building have been damaged, including the ceiling of the second-floor classroom terrace of the SBSN building, one SBSN classroom, the teachers’ room, classrooms, the school health unit room, as well as network and electrical equipment. To ensure the safety of students and teachers, teaching and learning activities have been temporarily moved to other, safer classrooms.

Besides MTsN 2 West Manggarai, MIN 1 West Manggarai has reported damage to its ceiling.

Meanwhile, MIS Al-Hidayah on Kukusan Island has suffered damage to a classroom, making it unusable for learning activities.

The West Manggarai Ministry of Religious Affairs stated that the data is still being verified because some areas cannot yet be fully confirmed due to communication problems.

Fransiskus also expressed his concern for worshippers, managers of houses of worship, madrasah residents, and civil servants affected by the earthquake.

He said the West Manggarai Ministry of Religious Affairs continues to update the damage data so that the reports submitted to the East Nusa Tenggara Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs can serve as a basis for further handling.

“The West Manggarai Ministry of Religious Affairs also urges the public to remain calm, avoid buildings that are damaged or potentially unstable, and follow official information from the government and relevant authorities,” he said.