NTT Earthquake: Thousands Displaced, 1,357 Homes and 93 Educational Facilities Damaged

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has resulted in 47 deaths. A total of 341 aftershocks have been recorded following the powerful tremor. “The earthquake, which has been followed by 341 aftershocks, has triggered significant destruction,” said Berton SP Panjaitan, Acting Head of the BNPB Centre for Disaster Data, Information and Communication, in a statement on Sunday (16/8/2026).

Berton explained that the highest number of fatalities was in Manggarai Regency with 23 deaths and East Manggarai with 17 deaths. Other casualties were spread across Sikka Regency with 4 deaths, West Manggarai with 1, Ende with 1, and Nagekeo with 1. At least 101 residents were reported injured with varying degrees of severity.

The earthquake also caused severe damage to 914 homes, moderate damage to 126 homes, and light damage to 317 homes. Severe damage also struck dozens of public facilities, including 93 educational facilities, 36 health facilities, and 38 government offices. The disaster forced more than 5,000 people to evacuate.

“Based on data updated as of Sunday (16/8) at 00:00 WIB, the largest concentration of displaced people in NTT is currently in Sikka Regency with a total of 3,356 people. They are spread across the Samador Sports Hall with 1,356 people and 2,000 people sheltering independently at 10 evacuation points,” he said.

“Meanwhile in Manggarai Regency, the number of displaced people has reached 2,078. Hundreds of other evacuees have also been reported in Nagekeo with 500 people, and in two areas in different provinces, namely Bima and the Selayar Islands,” he added.

Berton added that fulfilling basic rights and logistics at evacuation sites is now one of the emergency response priorities. Survivors, particularly in Manggarai Regency, urgently need dozens of emergency tents, 30 tonnes of rice, medicines, 1,000 blankets, 1,000 camp beds, 1,000 mats, clean water supplies (storage tanks), and generators.

As of now, joint teams and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) remain on standby, sweeping locations to conduct further data collection and verification.