August 21, 2026 | 08:19 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserts that Indonesia still relies on its national capabilities in handling the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The government believes that foreign aid is not yet necessary.
"At present, the focus of handling the situation is to ensure that the needs of the affected communities can be met through the national capacity and resources that we have," said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, during a media briefing in Jakarta on Thursday, August 20, 2026, as quoted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs YouTube channel.
Nevertheless, Indonesia appreciates the condolences, attention, and solidarity from friendly countries over the earthquake disaster in NTT. "Certainly, this means a lot to us in this difficult time," said Yvonne.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 shook the island of Flores on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The quake occurred at a depth of 15 kilometers, around 30 kilometers northeast of Mbay, Nagekeo Regency.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that as of Friday, August 21, 2026, at 4:00 PM local time, the death toll from this earthquake has reached 83 people. Meanwhile, the number of injured victims has reached 986 people. The earthquake also displaced 110,785 people.
Several friendly countries, including China, have expressed concerns about the NTT earthquake and offered assistance. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, on Monday, August 17, 2026, revealed their commitment to provide aid according to Indonesia's needs.
"We express our deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the families of the deceased and the injured," Lin said in a daily press conference, as reported by Antara.
Read: Pope Leo Says 'Deeply Saddened' by NTT Earthquake
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