CIANJUR: A devastating earthquake struck West Java province in Indonesia on Monday, killing more than 160 people. Rescuers are still looking for any survivors who may be buried beneath the rubble.
The 5.6-magnitude earthquake’s epicentre was close to the town of Cianjur in West Java’s mountainous region, roughly 75 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of the nation’s capital, Jakarta. There are about 2.5 million people living in the area.
Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java, posted on Instagram that 162 people had died and 326 had been hurt.
The 62 fatalities were still listed by Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), which also claimed rescuers were still looking for 25 people who were thought to be trapped in the rubble and that the search would go on all night.
According to Ridwan, the death toll could increase because so many structures have collapsed.
“There are locals trapped in remote locations, therefore we are assuming that the number of injuries and fatalities will increase over time.”
The so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” where various plates of the Earth’s crust collide and produce a great deal of earthquakes and volcanoes, crosses Indonesia.
More than 5,300 individuals had to be relocated, according to the BNPB, and more than 2,200 homes had been destroyed. Ridwan estimated that figure at 13,000 and stated that they will be dispersed among numerous evacuation centres located across Cianjur.
The death toll could increase, Ridwan warned reporters, given how many structures had collapsed.
We believe that the number of injuries and fatalities will increase over time because there are residents trapped in remote locations.
Indonesia is located in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region of the Earth’s crust where plates collide and frequently erupt volcanoes and earthquakes.
More than 2,200 homes had been damaged, according to the BNPB, and more than 5,300 individuals had to be relocated. According to Ridwan, there would be 13,000 of them, dispersed among numerous evacuation centres located around Cianjur.
Vani, who was receiving treatment in Cianjur’s major hospital, told MetroTV that an aftershock caused the walls of her home to collapse.
“Walls and wardrobe suddenly collapsed. Everything was flattened, and I’m not even sure where my parents are “She spoke.
Ridwan reported 88 aftershocks, and weather service BMKG issued a warning about more landslides in the event of intense rain.
48-year-old Cucu was looking for one of her seven kids.
“While I was upstairs doing laundry, the kids were downstairs. Everything gives way under me… My child who is still missing “She spoke.
Some employees in Jakarta’s core business district left their offices, while others described hearing shaking and seeing furniture move, according to witnesses who spoke to Reuters. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off Sumatra island in northern Indonesia triggered a tsunami that struck 14 countries, killing 226,000 people along the Indian Ocean coastline, more than half of them in Indonesia.
