Indonesia earthquake kills 268 as search for survivors continues

Asia-Pacific November 22, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

A powerful earthquake struck Indonesia’s main island of Java, killing at least 268 people, many of them children, and injuring hundreds more, disaster relief officials said.

Hospitals were overwhelmed and the death toll was expected to rise further as rescuers continued searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks. Landslides and rough terrain hampered rescue efforts.

Indonesia’s disaster agency chief Suharyanto told reporters that more than 1,000 people had been injured, 58,000 displaced and 22,000 houses damaged in the deadly earthquake.

The 5.6 magnitude quake struck the town of Cianjur in mountainous West Java, at a depth of 10km (6 miles), according to US Geological Survey data. The survey estimated that up to 242,000 people were exposed to “very strong shaking”. The quake triggered landslides, damaging buildings, including thousands of homes.

Terrified residents were seen covered in blood and debris. Many of the dead were school students who were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools when they collapsed, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said. He said that more than 13,000 people whose homes were heavily damaged were taken to evacuation centers.

“Everything collapsed beneath me … Two of my kids survived, I dug them up … One is still missing,” Cucu, a 48-year-old victim told Reuters.

Photos showed buildings reduced to rubble, with bricks and scraps of metal strewn on the streets. “So many buildings crumbled and shattered,” Kamil told reporters. “There are residents trapped in isolated places … so we assume that the number of injured and deaths will rise with time.”

*^{Earthquake survivors are treated outside of a hospital in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, Monday, November 21, 2022. (Image Credit: AP/Kholid)}*

Local hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of patients. The injured were seen laying on the floor on mattresses and blankets in makeshift tents. Some of the injured were treated outside in a hospital car park due to widespread power cuts following the quake.

At least 25 aftershocks were recorded in the two hours after the earthquake, Indonesian weather and geophysics agency BMKG reported, adding there was a danger of landslides, especially in the event of heavy rain.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo visited the epicenter of the quake, the town of Cianjur, and ordered rescue teams to prioritize rescuing people trapped under rubble by accessing areas blocked off by landslides. The Indonesian government also announced compensation for the victims and their families.