UMY confirms 61 community service students in NTT are safe

Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) has confirmed that 61 students participating in community service programmes (KKN) in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are safe after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the region on Saturday morning.

UMY student representative Didan Oktanova Hermawan, contacted from Kupang on Saturday, said all students and local residents had been successfully evacuated to hilly areas following an early tsunami warning.

“Our group is safe, thank God. By the third aftershock, we had prepared essential items and immediately evacuated with residents to the hills,” he said.

He explained that the 61 students are divided into two groups. The Gema Pelita Nusantara (GPN) group, comprising 26 students, is serving in Macang Tanggar Village, Komodo District, West Manggarai Regency, while the Proyek Ekspedisi Nusantara (Pena) group, comprising 35 students, is in Nanga Mbaling Village, Sambi Rampas District, East Manggarai Regency.

Separately, Al-Afik, a representative of UMY’s Directorate of Research and Community Service, said the university is continuing to monitor the situation and has instructed field supervisors to conduct a thorough on-site assessment.

The results of this evaluation will determine whether the university halts the community service programme and withdraws the students to Yogyakarta, or continues it by shifting the focus of activities to post-disaster response.

“Student safety is the top priority. If conditions on the ground are not conducive, we will withdraw the students. However, we will first assess whether they can be involved in disaster response efforts at the location,” he said in a statement.

At present, the students have chosen to focus on helping meet the basic needs of residents in evacuation tents while awaiting further official instructions from the university leadership and field supervisors.