Flores Quake Damages 509 Houses of Worship Across Faiths

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has recorded damage to 509 houses of worship across Flores following the 7.7‑magnitude earthquake that struck Nagekeo regency on 15 August 2026, with emergency assistance promised for facilities serving multiple faiths, according to ministry officials and national broadcasters. The ministry says current support focuses on urgent needs, while decisions on reconstruction will follow ongoing damage assessments and coordination with other government agencies.

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar outlined the response during a visit to Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, on Thursday, 3 September 2026, where he met ministry personnel and religious leaders at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri Manggarai Barat. During the visit he formally handed over Rp 3 billion in emergency funding for communities and religious institutions affected by the earthquake in Flores.

According to the head of the Nusa Tenggara Timur regional office of the ministry, Fransiskus Kariyanto, the figure of 509 houses of worship is based on rapid assessments carried out while aftershocks continued in several areas. Kariyanto delivered the report in Labuan Bajo in the presence of the minister, noting that the data remained provisional and subject to revision as further surveys are completed.

Breakdown of reported damage

The ministry’s regional office reports that houses of worship from five religious communities have been affected or damaged by the quake. Catholic facilities form the largest group in the current inventory.

• Catholic: 422 houses of worship
• Christian (Protestant): 33 houses of worship
• Muslim: 51 houses of worship
• Hindu: 1 house of worship
• Buddhist: 2 houses of worship

Officials describe the listed facilities as affected or damaged, but publicly available reports do not detail the criteria used to classify damage or distinguish between levels of structural impact. The same assessment recorded impacts on other religious‑affairs facilities: seven ministry offices, 12 offices of the Religious Affairs Office (KUA), one office of the Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB), 343 homes belonging to ministry civil servants and 94 religious education institutions.

Kariyanto also reported that the disaster claimed lives among families connected to the ministry, including one madrasah head and four students from a religious school, though further information on casualties has not yet been provided in detail.

Emergency assistance before reconstruction

Nasarsuddin Umar has stated that assistance will flow to houses of worship across religions, as well as to ministry offices and civil‑servant housing, with the aim of helping affected communities recover from the quake’s immediate impacts. According to his remarks and ministry statements, the Rp 3 billion package is targeted at emergency response for religious institutions and personnel, not at rebuilding damaged structures.

Officials say reconstruction of physical buildings will wait until damage inventories are more complete and coordination with other ministries, including those responsible for public works and housing, has taken place. Reporting from national outlets indicates that the Ministry of Public Works has begun planning renovations for some affected houses of worship, but detailed schedules and funding breakdowns have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The ministry’s response has so far been described in stages: initial deployment of emergency tents, equipment and food, followed by visits to affected personnel and religious leaders to offer psychological support and reinforce interfaith solidarity. Officials emphasize that assessments are ongoing and that the 509‑site figure remains a preliminary account that may change as teams reach more remote areas of Flores.

Sources

• Tribun Kupang (Regional NTT)
• Detik Bali / Nusra
• RRI (Radio Republik Indonesia) Manggarai Barat
• Media Indonesia
• Headline.co.id