In a statement issued Monday, BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the team is assisting local authorities with emergency response and coordination efforts.
Muhari also confirmed that the agency would deliver initial aid packages, including ready-to-eat meals, family tents, hygiene kits, blankets, and mattresses, to support those affected by the magnitude-5.8 quake.
To facilitate the response, BNPB Deputy for Emergency Management Budi Irawan chaired a virtual emergency coordination meeting on Sunday evening.
The meeting included representatives from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, the Poso district administration, and the local leadership forum.
As of late Sunday (August 17) at 11:42 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, BNPB confirmed one fatality.
The victim, critically injured by falling debris at GKST Elim Masani Church in Masani Village, died at Poso Hospital.
The strong quake jolted Poso, collapsing parts of the church during a morning worship service.
BNPB reported that at least 32 people were injured. Of these, 16 were referred to Poso Regional Hospital, six were treated at Tokorondo Health Center, and ten sustained minor injuries.
Damage assessments as of midday Sunday recorded 12 houses severely damaged and 33 with minor damage.
Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where multiple tectonic plates converge.
Sulawesi Island has endured several deadly earthquakes, including a magnitude-7.4 quake on September 28, 2018, which devastated Central Sulawesi. That disaster triggered a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, resulting in 2,102 deaths, over 4,600 injuries, and 680 missing persons.
The catastrophe destroyed 68,451 homes and displaced nearly 79,000 people. Many decomposing bodies were buried in mass graves to prevent disease outbreaks.
Economic losses were estimated at 15.29 trillion rupiahs (1 billion US dollars).
Palu suffered the worst damage, accounting for 7.6 trillion rupiahs—50 percent of the total.
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Translator: M.Ridwan, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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