Indonesian rescue workers search for earthquake survivors as at least 268 confirmed dead
Rescuers in Indonesia on Tuesday moved debris from collapsed buildings with jackhammers, circular saws and sometimes bare hands as they searched for dead and missing people in an earthquake that killed at least 268 people.
The death toll could rise as the 5.6-magnitude quake left many people missing, some remote areas were still unreachable, and injured more than 1,000 people. Hospitals near the epicenter on the densely populated island of Java were already overwhelmed, with IV-connected patients lying on stretchers and cribs in tents set up outdoors, awaiting further treatment.
Indonesia is hit by frequent earthquakes, many of them much stronger than Monday’s, and their magnitudes are usually expected to cause minor damage. He said it led to serious damage, including sunken roofs and large piles of brick, concrete and corrugated metal.
The quake was centered in the rural mountainous district of Cianjur, where one woman said her home “started shaking like it was dancing”.
“I was crying and immediately hugged my husband and children,” said Partinem, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. Her house collapsed shortly after she fled with her family.
“If we hadn’t pulled it out, we might have been victims too,” she said, staring at the pile of broken concrete and wood.
More than 2.5 million people live in the Cianjur district, and about 175,000 live in the main town of the same name.
Over 150 people missing
The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, causing panic in the capital Jakarta, about three hours’ drive away, shaking skyscrapers and forcing some people to evacuate.
The head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Suharyanto, told reporters that 1,083 people were injured and at least 151 were missing. However, not all the dead have been identified, so some of the bodies pulled from the rubble may be on the missing persons list.
Public works and housing spokesperson Endra Atmawijaja said rescue efforts were concentrated in about a dozen locations in Cianjur, where people are still believed to be trapped.
“We are racing against time to save people,” Atmawidjaja said.
Initial rescue attempts were hampered by damaged roads and bridges, power outages and a lack of equipment to help move heavy debris. By Tuesday, power supplies and telephone communications had begun to improve, and Atmawidjaja said seven excavators and 10 of his lorries had been deployed to clear roads from nearby areas.
thousands of buildings destroyed
In the village of Sijedir, the earthquake caused landslides, blocking streets and burying several houses, said Henri Alfiandi, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.
“We are maximizing operations at some points where we suspect there are still casualties. Our teams are also trying to reach remote areas,” he said.
When the building collapsed, many of the dead were public school students who had finished classes for the day and were taking extra classes at Islamic schools, said West Java provincial governor Ridwan Kamil.
Kamil said more than 13,000 people whose homes were badly damaged were taken to shelters, while thousands spent the night outdoors fearing aftershocks.
A cargo truck carrying food, tents, blankets and other supplies from Jakarta arrived at the makeshift shelter early Tuesday morning.
Outside the Cianjur Regional Hospital, hundreds of people were waiting for treatment.
“I was working inside an office building. The building was not damaged, but the earthquake shook so hard that many things fell. My leg was hit by a heavy object. area.
After several overwhelmed clinics failed to see him, he waited near a tent outside the hospital. “I really hope they can handle me soon,” he said.
President pledges support
President Joko Widodo visited Cianjur on Tuesday, pledging to rebuild infrastructure, including major bridges connecting Cianjur and other cities, and to provide government assistance to each resident whose home was damaged.
“On behalf of myself and the government, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victims of this Cianjur earthquake and their families,” he said after visiting survivors at a shelter on the football field.
With a population of over 270 million people, the country is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis due to its location on the volcanic arc and fault lines of the Pacific Basin known as the “Ring of Fire”.
A powerful earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 killed 230,000 people in 12 countries, most of them in Indonesia.
Indonesian rescue workers search for earthquake survivors as at least 268 confirmed dead
Source link Indonesian rescue workers search for earthquake survivors as at least 268 confirmed dead