Flores quake deaths in shelters spur calls for investigation as emergency is extended

Flores Island — On 19 September 2026, The Jakarta Post reported that death figures from the Flores earthquake had prompted renewed calls for an investigation into how evacuation shelters were managed after the disaster. The report said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency recorded 142 deaths in total, with 94 of them occurring in evacuation shelters.

That same reporting said the deaths in shelters drew criticism from lawmakers and civil society figures, who urged an official review of the response and shelter conditions. It also said the quake displaced around 150,000 residents across Flores.

Separately, Detik Bali reported that the emergency response status in Manggarai, East Manggarai and Nagekeo had been extended until 27 September 2026. The extension was described as a move to keep basic services running while the number of displaced people continued to fall.

The quake struck Flores on 15 August 2026 with a magnitude of 7.7, according to the reports. The disaster triggered widespread damage across East Nusa Tenggara and left many residents in temporary shelters in the hardest-hit districts.

By 18 September 2026, the number of people staying in shelters had fallen to 46,461, according to the Detik Bali report. The shelter toll and the continuing emergency response have kept attention on local recovery efforts more than a month after the earthquake.

Sources

• The Jakarta Post
• detikBali