Endonezya Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı
Search for Indonesia quake victims underway as country marks independence day
Rescuers in eastern Indonesia will comb through collapsed buildings on Monday to find anyone who might still be trapped under rubble after a deadly quake that killed at least 53 people, as the country marks its independence day reeling from the impact of fresh tremors. Saturday’s disaster in the province of East Nusa Tenggara was the country’s deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java. The official death toll was at 53 as of late Sunday. The quake also caused landslides and blocked roads across Indonesia’s southernmost province, including the regions of Sikka and Manggarai. Thousands were evacuated, with many sheltering in tents outdoors and afraid to return to their homes due to fears of aftershocks. A vilager cooks next to a tent in an open field in Marapokot, Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, on August 17, 2026, following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake. — AFP There were nearly 1,600 aftershocks in the province as of Monday, local media reported the geophysics agency chief as saying. The agency reported a 5.6 quake in Nagekeo region, near the initial epicentre, on Monday morning. In the parking lot of a damaged health centre littered with tents and hospital beds in a village close to the quake-affected Ende region, Firmus Woge, a 64-year-old farmer, was being treated for his asthma, aggravated by the panic setting in as the buildings around him continued to rattle. He said he had difficulty breathing overnight. Though better on Monday morning, the fresh aftershocks again took his breath away. “I felt better last night and this morning but it’s getting worse again after this morning’s quake,” he said, gasping for breath. Benedictus Sokar, 50, an earthquake survivor, lies on a hospital bed while receiving treatment in a makeshift tent outside the Ben Mboi Manggarai regional hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Ruteng, Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, August 17, 2026. — Reuters Search to continue The search will continue on Monday, authorities said. Fathur Rahman, chief at the rescue office in Maumere, Sikka’s capital, told Reuters on Monday the search will focus on aerial monitoring for anyone missing. Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search. Authorities readied planes to deliver aid such as food and tents, the chief of the country’s disaster mitigation agency Suharyanto said late on Sunday. The quake damaged around 500 homes, he said. Siti Saudah Daso, a mother of three, reacts while sheltering under a tent in an open field in Mbay, Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara, on August 17, 2026. — AFP Indonesia will also build an emergency field hospital in several areas, said Benjamin Paulus Octavianus, the country’s deputy health minister. Neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons are needed to treat head trauma and broken bones, Benjamin said. ‘I don’t think about that anymore’ In Jakarta, about 1,500 kilometres west of the disaster zone, President Prabowo Subianto is expected on Monday to preside over celebrations marking Indonesia’s independence from Japanese rule in 1945. Residents fleeing from an Ende village in fear of tsunamis brought their clothes and mattresses to higher ground. Asked about how he felt about the independence day celebrations, one resident, Gervas, 42, said: “I don’t think about that anymore I just think about the safety of my wife and 4-year-old twins.”
20 Yıl Sonra Memleket Ziyaretinde Dere Akıntısı: 3 Kişi ÖldüGreetings to President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto
Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto on the occasion of the national holiday – the Republic’s Independence Day. The message reads, in part: “Your country has attained universally recognised achievements in the economic and social spheres and enjoys well‑deserved respect on the global stage. Relations between Moscow and Jakarta are developing most successfully, as evidenced by our productive contacts with you. Undoubtedly, we will continue our constructive joint efforts to further expand our mutually beneficial partnership – both on a bilateral basis and within the framework of BRICS, the Russia-ASEAN Dialogue, and other international formats. I am confident that this will fully serve the interests of our friendly peoples and contribute to the strengthening of security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world. I wish you robust health and every success in your state endeavours, and to all citizens of Indonesia – happiness and prosperity. And, naturally, I look forward to our meeting in Vladivostok in early September.”
Prabowo’s Iran nuclear remarks ‘reminder’ against proliferation: Foreign Ministr...
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Analysis: Corruption in the kitchen: Governance crisis in BGN
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Indonesia’s Chinese Fighter Gamble Will Test ASEAN Trust
President Prabowo Subianto’s hyper-hedging may preserve his country’s diplomatic flexibility, but it risks military fragmentation and regional uncertainty.
Indonesia’s central bank chief steps down early
President Prabowo Subianto has accepted the resignation of Perry Warjiyo, who had served as Bank Indonesia's governor since 2018.
Indonesia's ‘balanced’ response signals quiet pushback on US far-left terrorism ...
Indonesia's response to the United States' push to globally combat "far-left terrorism" amounted to a form of quiet resistance, analysts say, as Jakarta uses carefully chosen diplomatic language to signal it will not simply adopt Washington's framing, even as it seeks to maintain bilateral ties under President Prabowo Subianto's leadership.