"We all suffer a great loss from the passing of Mr.Sutopo," Head of Muhammadiyah's Disaster Mitigation Division Budi Setiawan said in a statement here on Sunday.
Despite his lung cancer, Sutopo who was born in Boyolali, Central Java, on Oct 7, 1969 remained committed to his professional work as the BNPB's spokesman by disseminating accurate and immediate information on catastrophic disasters, he said.
The accurate and immediate information that he publicly shared was so important to enable the people at large to get rid of misleading and contradicting information on occurring disasters, Setiawan said.
Related news: Indonesia suffers tremendous loss in BNPB spokesperson's passing
He prayed for Sutopo, and hoped that there would be new qualified spokespersons who could continue his work in Indonesia.
The BNPB announced that it suffered a tremendous loss in the passing of its senior spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, who died of lung cancer on early Sunday while being treated at the Guangzhou St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital
The BNPB received the sad news from Sutopo's wife and his son's Twitter account, the agency's public relations division revealed in its press statement.
Sutopo who was confirmed by doctors to get lung cancer in December 2017 passed away at around 02.20 a.m. Guangzhou's time or 01.20 a.m. Jakarta's time after being treated at the Chinese city's St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital since June 14.
The cancer that he suffered had spread to his body's bones and several other vital internal organs. However, despite his serious illness, Sutopo remained committed to his professional work as the agency's spokesperson.
Amid his ongoing endeavor to receive medical treatment, he still held regular press briefings to update information on the impact and mitigation efforts of such catastrophic disasters as the Lombok and Palu earthquakes and tsunamis, BNPB said.
"We all suffer a tremendous loss in the passing of Mr.Sutopo. May almighty Allah Subhana Wa Taala accept his good deeds, and enable the mourning families to cope with this loss and grief patiently," the BNPB said.
Related news: Indonesian diplomats attempt to return remains of Sutopo on Sunday
Translator: Dewanto S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
