• A shallow 5.6-magnitude quake on the main island of Java in Indonesia killed at least 162 people.
• The quake was centered in Cianjur district.
• Canada’s prime minister and Pakistan’s foreign minister offer condolences for the loss of life.
• No casualties or serious damage were reported in Jakarta.
Advertisement

On Monday, officials said that a shallow 5.6-magnitude quake on the main island of Java in Indonesia killed at least 162 people, injured hundreds more, and left thousands unaccounted for.

After the earthquake, which was felt as far away as the capital of Jakarta, left hospitals in the West Java town of Cianjur without power for several hours, doctors treated patients outside. “I regret to inform that 162 are dead. 326 are injured with most of them sustained fractures from being crushed in ruins,” Ridwan Kamil, governor of the worst-affected region West Java, said at a press conference in a video viewed by AFP. He added that the majority of casualties were minors.

Adam, a local administration official in Cianjur who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name, verified the death toll to AFP. The BNPB, Indonesia’s primary organization for disaster mitigation, still lists the death toll at 62. After a disaster at an Indonesian stadium last month, officials provided drastically changing death toll estimates due to inaccurate counting.

The BNPB reported that 25 individuals were trapped beneath the rubble as the rescue operation continued through the night. The agency reported that more than 2,000 homes were damaged, while Kamil reported that more than 13,000 people were evacuated to shelters.

“You can see it yourself, some got their heads, feet sewn outdoors. Some got stressed and started crying,” said Kamil. Kamil stated that power had been largely restored by nightfall, although he did not explain whether this was due to generators or a link to the electrical system. The afternoon quake was centered in the Cianjur district, where local authorities reported as many as 700 people were injured and warned the death toll could climb.

“Because there are still a lot of people trapped on the scene, we assume injuries and fatalities will increase over time,” added Kamil as ambulance sirens wailed in the background. Agus Azhari, 19, was in the family home with his elderly mother when their living room was destroyed in mere seconds, with portions of the walls and roof collapsing.

“I pulled my mother’s hand, and we ran outside,” he said. “I heard people screaming for help from all around me,” Azhari told AFP. Herman Suherman, the chairman of Cianjur’s municipal administration, stated that the bulk of fatalities was recorded at a single hospital, with the majority of victims killed in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

He informed Indonesian media that the hospital in Sayang was without power following the earthquake, preventing doctors from quickly operating on victims. He stated that the overwhelming quantity of patients necessitated an immediate increase in the healthcare workforce.

AFP footage shows that locals brought patients to the hospital in pick-up trucks and motorcycles. The dead were placed in front of the institution while people spread tarps on the road for them. According to an AFP correspondent on the scene, green tents were constructed outside of another facility, the Cimacan hospital, to provide improvised medical care.

Bloody victims arrived while parents searched for their children. The governor, Kamil, stated that many landslides had blocked access to certain roads and that bulldozers were being deployed to reopen them.

Also Read

Alvi, Shehbaz & Bilawal express condolences with Indonesian President

ISLAMABAD: President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif...

According to Indonesian media, shops, a hospital, and an Islamic boarding school were extensively damaged in the town. In Cianjur, collapsed structures and debris clogged the streets. The town is located in a steep region where many dwellings are constructed from a combination of mud and concrete.

“The ambulances keep on coming,” Suherman said. “There are many families in villages that have not been evacuated,” Doni Hermawan, chief of police in Cianjur, told Metro TV that authorities had rescued a mother and an infant from a landslide, but that a third person they found had died of their injuries.

President Emmanuel Macron of France was the first foreign leader to express his sympathies. “Indonesia was hit this morning by an earthquake of destructive and deadly force. Thoughts for all the victims.”

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau extended sympathies and stated that Ottawa “stands ready to help in any way.” President Joko Widodo of Indonesia has not yet responded to the quake.

After the quake, the meteorological office of Indonesia recorded 62 aftershocks near Cianjur with magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 4. No casualties or serious damage were reported in Jakarta, a three-hour drive away.

Mayadita Waluyo, a 22-year-old attorney, recalled how terrified workers in Jakarta rushed to building exits when the earthquake occurred. “I was working when the floor under me was shaking. I could feel the tremor clearly,” she added.

Due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates intersect, Indonesia frequently suffers seismic and volcanic activity. In January 2021, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Sulawesi island killed more than 100 individuals and rendered thousands homeless.

Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveyed his condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo for the earthquake-related loss of life. “Saddened by the tragic loss of precious lives in an earthquake that struck Java region of Indonesia,” the prime minister said in a tweet posted on his social media account. “We, in Pakistan, offer our heartfelt condolences and most sincere sympathies to H.E. President Joko Widodo, the bereaved families, and the brotherly people of Indonesia,” he added.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also conveyed his sorrow and condolences for the loss of life caused by the Indonesian earthquake.

“Tragic news of the earthquake and resultant loss of precious lives in Indonesia. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers for our Indonesian brothers and sisters, especially families of the victims,” the foreign minister said in a Twitter post.

Also Read

Earthquake in Indonesia kills dozens, injures hundreds

A shallow earthquake struck Java. It killed scores and wounded hundreds. Monday's...