Indonesia: 162 killed, hundreds injured in Java earthquake

The death toll from the earthquake in Indonesia has risen to at least 162. This was reported by the governor of Java, the most affected province, and a local official.

The quake shook Indonesia's main island Java, which also includes the capital Jakarta. This was announced by the authorities, including the spokesman for the local administration in the city of Cianjur. The governor of western Java island, Ridwan Kamil, said: "Most of the dead were children."

Java earthquake

Many were public school students who had finished their classes and were taking supplementary classes in Islamic schools. Kamil also added that more than 13,000 people, whose homes have been heavily damaged, have been taken to evacuation centres.

According to the USGS, the intensity of this earthquake on the Richter scale has been estimated at 5.6. According to reports, the epicenter of the earthquake is Cianjur, 100 km from the capital Jakarta.

A large number of people have been admitted to the hospital. Lack of space is being felt in hospitals and many people are being treated outside.

The country is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis due to its geographic location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province. And again, in 2004 a powerful earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, mostly in Indonesia.

It is believed that many people may still be buried under the debris of the collapsed buildings. That's why relief workers are engaged in rescue operations even at night.

Officials say that the area where the earthquake occurred is a landslide-affected area and the quality of the houses is poor. These houses must have been turned into rubble in the tremors of the earthquake.

'Most of the injured have fractures'

Governor Ridwan Kamil said that some areas affected by the earthquake have been cut off due to landslides and a large number of people may be buried under the debris.

Earlier, Hermann Suhrmann, head of the Cianjur city administration, had said that most of the injured rescued from the rubble of the buildings had fractures.

Hermann Suhrmann told the AFP news agency, "Ambulances are constantly coming from the villages to the hospital. There are still many families in the villages who are still trapped."

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has told that dozens of buildings in Cianjur city have collapsed. It also includes a hospital and a madrasa hostel.

Earthquake tremors were also felt in Jakarta city, located at a distance of 100 kilometres from Cianjur city. People were evacuated from tall buildings in Jakarta as a precaution.

Buildings sway in Jakarta

The Disaster Relief Agency said that the earthquake occurred at 1:21 pm local time. At that time the people working in the offices had come out.

Mayadita Valuyo, a lawyer who came out of her office, told AFP news agency: "I was working when I felt the ground begin to shift under my feet. I tried not to do anything, but the tremors kept getting stronger." went and it went on for a while."

An employee named Ahmad Ridwan told the news agency Reuters, "We are used to earthquakes in Jakarta, but this time people were very nervous. That's why we panicked."

The occurrence of earthquakes in Indonesia is seen as a common occurrence. In terms of the geological activities of the Pacific region, this country is just above the 'Ring of Fire'.

In the year 2018, there was an earthquake and tsunami incident in Indonesia in which more than two thousand people were killed.

Also Read

• Sarbal Village: A hamlet in Kashmir waiting for development
• How to convert your old car into electric car in Delhi
• Farmers in MP face crop failure every year due to climate change
• Climate Change: Kishanganga Dam causes water concerns

Follow Ground Report for Climate Change and Under-Reported issues in India. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Koo App, Instagram, Whatsapp and YouTube. Write us on [email protected]