Officials claimed that more than 100 schoolchildren were killed in an earthquake in Indonesia.
As rescue workers searched through mountains of rubble for survivors, the death toll from Monday’s magnitude 5.6 earthquake in West Java rose to 268 today.
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The earthquake left Cianjur with severe damage, including the destruction of roads and bridges, flattening schools, and burying at most one village in a landslide.
Many people were left with injuries, and officials warned that the death toll could rise as more residents are trapped.
Ridwan Kamil, West Java governor, stated: “The majority of those who died were children.”
According to him, many of the young victims were students from public schools who had just finished regular classes and were attending extra lessons at Islamic schools.
At least 151 people still remain missing.
Damaged roads and bridges, power blackouts, and poor heavy equipment have all hampered rescue efforts.
The earthquake caused fear among residents to flee into the streets. Some were covered in blood and debris and buildings collapsed around the rural area.
Local authorities reported that at least 300 people had been seriously injured and 600 others sustained minor injuries.
Hospitals were overwhelmed by images of patients lying on stretchers in tents and on cots outside in parking lots and on the streets, waiting for treatment.
Henri Alfiandi of the National Search and Rescue Agency stated that 25 people are still buried in Cijedil northwest of Cianjur after a landslide.
“We are maximizing operations at several points where it is suspected that there are still casualties,”He stated.
“Our team is also trying to reach remote areas. For us, all victims are a priority, our goal is to find them and save lives by getting them evacuated as soon as possible and get medical help.”
Endra Atmawidjaja is the spokesperson for public works and housing. She said that rescue workers are currently focusing on around a dozen Cianjur locations where people are believed to be trapped.
“We are racing against time to rescue people,” Atmawidjaja said.
Doni Hermawan, chief of Cianjur Police, stated that emergency services saved a mother and her baby from a landslide but that a third person was tragically killed from their injuries.
According to reports, eight cars were trapped in another landslide.
As Husein’s body was laid to rest in the ground, his relatives wept at the burial ceremony held in Cianjur. Husein was killed while building a house.
“I just lost a brother 10 days ago. Now I’ve lost another brother,”Siti Rohmah, Siti’s sister, spoke as she sobbed uncontrollably.
“I kept waiting, hoping he would survive and that nothing bad would happen to him.”
Dimas Reviansyah was 34 years old and one of many rescuers. He stated that teams were using excavators and chainsaws in order to dig through the piles of fallen trees and debris to find survivors.
“I haven’t slept at all since yesterday, but I must keep going because there are victims who have not been found,”He stated.
According to the weather station BMKG, 25 aftershocks were registered within two hours following the quake.
We consider all victims a priority. Our goal is save lives and get them evacuated as quickly as possible.
Henri Alfiandi
Temporary shelters were occupied by trucks carrying food, blankets, and tents from Jakarta on Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo visited Cianjur to assure people that the government will reach those who are most in need.
“On behalf of myself and on behalf of the government, I would like to express my deep condolences to the victims and their families in this Cianjur earthquake,”He said this after visiting survivors in shelters.
He pledged to rebuild damaged infrastructure, including the main bridge connecting Cianjur with other cities, and to give up to 50 millions rupiah ($3,180 each resident whose property was destroyed).
Cianjur is home to roughly 175,000 people. It’s part of a mountainous region with more than 2.5million inhabitants.
At a depth of 6.2 miles, the quake occurred.
It also caused panic in Jakarta (about a three-hour drive away) where high-rises moved and office workers ran out of their offices.
Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling nation of Indonesia – but it is uncommon for them to be felt in Jakarta.
This country of over 270 million people is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis because of its position on the Ring of Fire, an area of volcanoes and faultlines in the Pacific Basin.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck West Sumatra province in February. It killed at most 25 people and left more than 460 others injured.
In January 2021, more than 100 people were killed and nearly 6,500 were injured in West Sulawesi by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake.
A powerful tsunami and earthquake in the Indian Ocean killed almost 230,000 people in 12 countries in 2004, most of them in Indonesia.
It occurs as the Honiara, Solomon Islands capital, was shaken by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake on Tuesday.
The first quake struck just off the south west coast at 1pm local time, sparking a tsunami warning – before it was stood down.
A second quake, with a magnitude of 6.0, was recorded nearby 30 minutes later.
There were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.
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