Volunteer architect dies during Flores earthquake damage assessment

Labuan Bajo — Volunteer architect Gregorius Agung Setyonugroho, 44, died on Sunday, 13 September 2026, while assigned to post-earthquake damage assessment work in Tondong Belang village, Mbeliling subdistrict, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, according to local media and the district government.

Gregorius was part of an assessment team from the Indonesian Architects Association (Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia, IAI) working on the Flores Recovery Program, monitoring damage to houses and other buildings affected by the recent Flores earthquake. He collapsed and lost consciousness while sitting and discussing assessment work with village officials in Tondong Belang, according to reports citing his colleagues.

Gregorius was taken by fellow volunteers to Komodo Regional General Hospital (RSUD Komodo) in Labuan Bajo and arrived there at around 4:20 p.m. WITA. The hospital’s acting director, Paulus Ndarung, said he was received in a condition described as “death on arrival”, meaning he had already died when he reached the hospital.

Ndarung told local media that Gregorius’s colleagues reported he had a history of hypertension. However, officials and news reports have not stated a definitive medical cause of death. District government information services in West Manggarai said doctors at RSUD Komodo confirmed that he had died but did not publicly specify the cause.

Volunteer architect from Depok

Local media identified Gregorius as a resident of Depok, West Java. He arrived in Labuan Bajo on Saturday, 12 September 2026, to support post-earthquake assessments of damaged homes and buildings in West Manggarai.

According to the West Manggarai government’s information portal, he was serving as part of the IAI Hadir–Flores Recovery Program team assigned to Tondong Belang. On the first full day of his assignment, he reportedly became unconscious and was transported to RSUD Komodo, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Media reports and local government statements list the following confirmed details:

• Age: 44.
• Assignment location: Tondong Belang village, Mbeliling subdistrict, West Manggarai.
• Time recorded at Komodo Regional General Hospital: around 4:20 p.m. WITA on Sunday, 13 September 2026.
• Home region: Depok, West Java.

Body flown to Yogyakarta

The West Manggarai district government stated that Gregorius’s body was cared for in the mortuary at RSUD Komodo in Labuan Bajo before being flown out through Komodo Airport. The information service reported that his remains were being returned to Yogyakarta, with local officials expressing condolences for his death while on humanitarian duty.

Statements published by the district government emphasised that Gregorius died while carrying out a humanitarian mission to assess earthquake damage. As of mid-September, media reports had not quoted a public statement from the national leadership of the Indonesian Architects Association regarding his death.

Second volunteer death in Flores response

Detik’s coverage of the Flores earthquake response noted that Gregorius was the second volunteer reported to have died while engaged in humanitarian work in the affected areas. The earlier case involved Ahmad Zaki Ali, a humanitarian volunteer from Jakarta and founder of the Gerak Bareng Foundation.

According to national and local reports, Ahmad Zaki Ali, aged 41 or 42, died on Friday, 21 August 2026, while delivering aid to earthquake-affected communities in Dampek, Lamba Leda Utara subdistrict, Manggarai Timur, East Nusa Tenggara. Police and disaster response officials told media that he was suspected of having suffered a heart attack linked to exhaustion while transporting relief supplies, and that he was declared dead on arrival at a local health facility.

The two deaths highlight the physical strain faced by civilian professionals and volunteers working in remote and disaster-affected terrain in Flores. Officials have publicly acknowledged both men as humanitarian volunteers who died while on duty, although a formal medical determination has only been reported in Ahmad Zaki Ali’s case, where authorities cited a suspected heart attack associated with fatigue.

Sources

• detikBali – Arsitek Relawan Gempa Flores Meninggal Dunia di Labuan Bajo
• OkeFlores.com / Pikiran-Rakyat regional – Relawan IAI Meninggal Saat Bertugas Pantau Kerusakan Rumah Pascagempa di Mabar
• Info Mabar – Jenasah Relawan IAI Dipulangkan Ke Jogyakarta, Pemkab Mabar Nyatakan Berduka
• CNN Indonesia – Relawan Gempa NTT Meninggal Saat Salurkan Bantuan ke Masyarakat
• Liputan6 – Relawan Gempa NTT Ahmad Zaki Ali Meninggal Saat Bawa Bantuan
• Kemenko PMK – Kemenko PMK Kawal Pemulangan Jenazah Relawan Ahmad Zaki Ali dari NTT