Boarding a Military Super Puma helicopter, the president and his entourage left Sultan Muhammad Kaharuddin Airport in Sumbawa District for East Lombok at 7 am Central Indonesia Standard Time (WITA) on Monday.
Before leaving for the evacuation site at Madayin Square in Sambelia sub-district, National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB) Chief Willem Rampangilei explained to the president about the earthquake emergency response.
"The president will meet with the people affected by the disaster and also hand over the aid," said Deputy Protocol, Press and Media Bey Machmudin on Monday morning.
West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board Chief Mohammad Rum remarked earlier that at least 16 people were killed in the earthquake.
The death toll included nine in East Lombok district, four in North Lombok district, a Malaysian tourist, and a climber from South Sulawesi province, Chief of the BPBD, H Mohammad Rum, said here on Sunday night.
The 30-year old Malaysian tourist, identified as Siti Nur Ismawida, was found dead after the wall of the house where she stayed fell on her.
The climber, identified as Muhammad Ainul Muksin, was killed after a mass of earthy material fell on him in Mount Rinjani`s hiking route.
The body of the climber has not been removed from the mountain as a mass of earthy material closed the hiking route.
The quake hit Lombok and Sumawa Islands on Sunday at 6:47 a.m. local time, but did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.
The tremor was centered 8.4 degrees southern latitude and 116.55 degrees eastern longitude, 47 km east of the West Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Mataram, at a depth of 24 km.
From East Lombok, President Jokowi and his entourage will then leave for Dompu District to inaugurate Tanju dam in Manggelewa sub-district.
After that, the president will return to Sumbawa and to submit land certificates to the people and to visit Sumbawa University of Technology (UTS), and then back to Jakarta on Monday evening.
Reporting by Bayu Prasetyo
editing by Otniel Tamindael
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
