Indonesia Earthquake: Plan Indonesia warns of grave risks to children and girls

Plan Indonesia is deploying emergency assessment teams following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia early on Saturday morning, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.

The shallow earthquake hit 30 kilometres northeast of Mbay at a depth of 15 kilometres, triggering widespread panic, damaging homes and schools, and causing landslides that cut off critical supply routes, including the Trans Ende-Bajawa highway. Although an initial tsunami warning has been lifted, access to remote communities remains severely restricted.

Plan Indonesia is currently conducting a Rapid Needs Assessment across five targeted areas: Sikka, Nagekeo, East Manggarai, Bajawa and Lembata, alongside Manggarai. Field staff on the ground are urgently collaborating with local emergency management agencies to assess damages and verify the safety of children and vulnerable community members.

“Disasters of this scale do not just destroy infrastructure,they shatter children’s sense of safety. Our immediate priority is verifying the welfare of children in hard-hit communities and delivering essential relief to those cut off by landslides ” said Dini Widiastuti, Executive Director of Plan Indonesia.

As part of its initial emergency intervention, Plan Indonesia is providing psycho social support, safe drinking water distribution, shelter kits and hygiene kits. 

Plan International warned that disaster settings dramatically heighten protection risks for adolescent girls, including disruption to education, loss of safe spaces, increased gender-based violence risks, and acute sanitation challenges.

“In any disaster, adolescent girls face unique and heightened risks,” Dini Widiastuti added. “Humanitarian response must explicitly prioritise girls’ health, hygiene, and protection from day one through to recovery.”

Plan Indonesia calls on local authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure child-centric protection measures are embedded throughout emergency relief and recovery operations.

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Notes to editors: Plan International Indonesia's Humanitarian Manager Enos Ndapareda is currently in East Nusa Tenggara and is available for interviews. We also have emergency response team members available to interview.

Contact:

Claire Knox, Media Manager Plan International Australia, 0452326549, [email protected]