NTT Governor: Northern Flores Region Worst Affected by Earthquake
The Governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Melki Laka Lena, has said that the northern part of Flores island has been most affected by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake centred in Mbay, Nagekeo Regency.
“The greatest impact of the Mbay earthquake is in the northern region of Flores, from Maumere, Ngada, Manggarai, and its epicentre in Nagekeo,” he said during a press conference with relevant agencies and regional leadership coordination forum members, including the TNI and Polri, at the NTT Regional Police Headquarters in Kupang on Saturday afternoon (15/8), as quoted from Antara.
At present, he said, definitive data on damage and casualties resulting from the earthquake is still being collected by local governments on Flores island.
Melki said that since this morning he has been contacting a number of regional heads in Flores to record the damage occurring in their respective areas.
“I have contacted the regents across mainland Flores regarding the current conditions, to immediately check the situation in each area and provide damage data to the provincial government,” he added.
The NTT provincial government has also been asked to promptly verify the data so that aid distribution can be dispatched to the disaster locations immediately.
He added that the provincial government’s current focus is evacuating earthquake victims to safe locations.
“I have asked supermarkets in the disaster areas to distribute food to the victims, and the government will reimburse them, while we await aid distribution,” he added.
Melki also said that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has been monitoring the post-earthquake response and has ordered a number of officials to inspect the disaster sites directly.
Furthermore, he said that this afternoon, using a National Police aircraft, he will directly inspect the disaster sites in Maumere as well as several other locations in Flores.
Previously, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Geophysical Station reported that as of 10.00 WITA, the number of aftershocks following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), had reached 111.
“The latest information as of 10.00 WITA is that a total of 111 aftershocks have occurred,” said Head of the BMKG Kupang Geophysical Station, Arief Tystama, in Kupang on Saturday morning, as quoted from Antara.
He said that although there had been 111 aftershocks by 10.00 WITA, seismic activity is still ongoing, with the most recent magnitude recorded at 3.8.
Although the earthquake magnitudes have begun to decrease, his agency is urging the public in Flores to remain vigilant, as aftershocks are still occurring. Meanwhile, regarding the tsunami early warning, he said it has now been lifted.
Previously, BMKG issued a level 2 tsunami potential status for several coastal areas in NTT following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Mbay Village, Nagekeo Regency, on Saturday at 05.58 WITA local time.
The earthquake’s epicentre was located at coordinates 8.41 degrees south latitude and 121.39 degrees east longitude. The location is approximately 30 kilometres offshore from Mbay-Nagekeo at a depth of 15 kilometres.
Until 07.03 WITA, BMKG maintained a level 2 tsunami early warning. The warning covered areas in NTT, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, and Southeast Sulawesi.
In NTT, areas with alert status include northern Manggarai, northern Ngada, northern West Manggarai, northern Ende, and northern Sikka.
Meanwhile, areas in South Sulawesi with alert status are Selayar, Jeneponto, and Bantaeng.
The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Regional Police Chief, Inspector General Dr. Rudi Darmoko, stressed that public safety is the top priority in the emergency response following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
He said that NTT Regional Police personnel moved quickly to carry out evacuations and provide assistance to the public in several affected areas. According to the Police Chief, in the initial stage of the response, saving lives is the utmost priority. Meanwhile, the number of casualties and the extent of damage are still being recorded.
“So we are prioritising rescue first, while we are still compiling the data,” he said.