Death Toll Rises to 387 in Lombok Earthquake
Jakarta. The death toll from the magnitude-7 earthquake that hit Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, last week has risen to 387, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, said on Saturday (11/08).
According to BNPB, the number of victims is still expected to rise. While the island continues to suffer from aftershocks, 13,688 people have been injured and 387,067 displaced.
BNPB spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said 521 aftershocks have been recorded so far.
On Thursday, northern part of the island was hit by another earthquake, this time of magnitude 6.2, prompting West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zainul Majdi to extend the state of emergency by another 14 days.
"The aftershocks will continue for another three to four weeks," Sutopo said.
Aid Delivery Still a Challenge
The government, military and agencies are struggling to deliver aid to the most affected.
According to Sutopo, evacuation is still underway in some areas.
"The aftershocks are causing more damage and result in more deaths," he said.
As of Saturday, nearly 68,000 houses, 468 schools, six bridges and three hospitals, were damaged.
Sutopo said evacuees in the subdistricts of Gangga, Kayangan and Pemenang have not received aid from the government yet, as access to them has been cut off by the quake.
Basic aid kits, including tents, blankets, instant noodles, drinking water, sleeping mats and clothes, are still urgently needed.
The agency has not yet compiled a formal estimate of the losses from the earthquake, but they may exceed Rp 2 trillion ($138 million).
Foreign Aid
The European Commission's first emergency assistance of €150,000 was allocated to 4,000 people in the worst-hit districts of East and North Lombok.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said the government is still capable of addressing the aftermath of the disaster without foreign aid.
"We are open to receiving this aid, and we are aware that people are in need of it. But we are still capable of addressing this ourselves," Jokowi said on Friday.
The president is expected to visit Lombok in the coming days.
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