Many perished in the earthquake in Indonesia – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The quake, with its epicenter near the capital, Jakarta, was recorded at 1:00 pm local time on Monday.

So far, 62 deaths have been recorded, according to Reuters. At least 25 people must be trapped under the collapsed buildings.

The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.6, according to the American Earthquake Center USGS. The depth of the earthquake was measured at 10 km.

More than 700 people have been injured. The National Crisis Agency said in a press conference that more than 2,200 homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 5,300 people have been left homeless.

So far, the hardest hit area appears to be between Jakarta and Bandung in West Java, around the city of Cianjur. It is located 75 kilometers from the capital.

In Cianjur, Sayang Hospital received most of the victims. He is receiving at least 300 treatments, most of them outdoors in the parking lot. Now it’s getting dark, and many people wear lanterns and mobile phones.

In another hospital, Cimacan, green tents have been set up outside where patients receive healthcare. An AFP reporter on the spot reports a steady stream of ambulances carrying the wounded.

collapsed house

The earthquake caused the collapse of thousands of buildings. Several aftershocks also collapsed. Landslides were also recorded, according to Agence France-Presse.

It was said that a boarding school, a hospital, a public office, and several shops were severely damaged in the earthquake. Television images from Cianjur show collapsed roofs, broken windows, holes in walls, and parts of buildings littering the streets.

Most of the injured were severely injured when they were trapped in collapsed buildings. This is what the leader of the local authorities in Cianjur, Herman Suhrmann, told the TV station Metro TV.

He says rescue work continues in the ruins throughout the evening and into the night. He says the number of dead and injured may rise.

The power in the area has been cut off and communication difficulties are great. Several roads were closed due to landslides, preventing evacuations. During the evening, some of the power grid came back up and running.

Landslide risk

Cianjur Police Chief Doni Hermawan told Metro TV that rescuers had rescued a woman and a child from a landslide. A third rescued person succumbed to his injuries.

Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamel. He says rescuers have not yet been able to get a full overview of the extent of the damage in villages around Cianjur.

Many buildings have been destroyed. Many residents are trapped under destroyed homes in isolated locations. Therefore, we believe that the number of dead and wounded will rise, according to Kamel, according to Reuters.

Two hours after the earthquake, at least 25 aftershocks were recorded, the country’s Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported.

The agency issued a warning of the possibility of more landslides, especially in the event of heavy rains.

aghast

In Jakarta, several tall buildings were reported to have swayed during the earthquake, but there were no reports of major damage there.

Hundreds of people were thrown out of office buildings in Central Jakarta when the earthquake struck. They were standing in the street, fearing more earthquakes.

The governing authorities are asking people to stay outside because there may be new earthquakes.

Mayadita Waluyo, 22, told AFP that panicked office staff ran towards the exits when the high-rise building where she worked began to shake. She had to jump herself 14 floors, but she got out unharmed.

Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes. In January last year, the island of Sulawesi was hit by an earthquake that killed more than 100 people. More than 3,000 wounded.

earthquake zone

Indonesia has experienced more than 150 large earthquakes of magnitude 7 in the past 100 years. The reason for frequent earthquakes is that tectonic plates in the earth’s crust collide in this area.

The most powerful earthquake came in 2004 when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake occurred in the sea off Sumatra in the north of the country near Thailand. The earthquake triggered tsunamis that hit 14 countries. Around the Indian Ocean, 226,000 people lost their lives, with more than half of the victims in Indonesia.

French President Emmanuel Macron was the first of the international leaders to send Condolences. Along with the leaders of the world’s 20 richest countries, he was in Indonesia last week, as the country hosted the G20 meeting. It is more than 1,000 kilometers from Cianjur to Bali, where the G20 meeting was held.