Why Did Prabowo Wait 11 Days to Visit Earthquake-Hit Flores?

August 26, 2026 | 02:42 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto said he deliberately delayed his visit to Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the island on August 15, saying he wanted government agencies to focus on assisting affected residents without the added demands of a presidential visit.

“I deliberately did not come in the early days after the earthquake because I wanted to give all agencies the opportunity to directly serve the people,” Prabowo said during a coordination meeting in Nagekeo Regency, Flores, on Wednesday, August 26.

Prabowo made the remarks during his first visit to Mbay, Nagekeo, to review the response to the earthquake and meet affected residents.

He said an earlier presidential visit could have disrupted the emergency response because local officials would have had to receive and accompany central government officials.

“If I had come a few days after the earthquake, everyone’s focus would have been divided because many regional officials would have had to receive officials from the central government,” he said.

Prabowo also acknowledged that he had not visited the affected areas earlier, but said he had continued to monitor developments from Jakarta.

“There is a tendency for the focus to be diverted,” he said, referring to the potential impact of an early presidential visit on the disaster response.

He thanked government agencies, local authorities and other parties involved in the response for their efforts to assist earthquake victims.

Death Toll Rises to 103

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that the death toll from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Nagekeo, NTT, on August 15 had risen to 103 as of Tuesday, August 25.

The earthquake struck at 5:58 a.m. local time, with its impact spreading across several regencies on Flores.

BNPB recorded 41 deaths in Manggarai, 34 in East Manggarai, 13 in Nagekeo, six in Sikka, five in Ngada, three in Ende and one in West Manggarai.

Women accounted for 55 percent of the fatalities, while men made up 45 percent. By age group, 45 percent of those killed were elderly people, 37 percent were adults, and 12 percent were children and teenagers. The remainder were infants and toddlers.

The agency also reported 1,666 people injured.

East Manggarai recorded the highest number of injuries, with 239 people suffering serious injuries and another 404 sustaining minor injuries.

BNPB said it was continuing to update the casualty figures as additional reports came in from areas affected by the earthquake.

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