The death toll from the earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Java climbed to 268 on Tuesday as more bodies were found under collapsed buildings. More than 150 people are still missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency also announced.
Agency chief Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, told reporters that another 1,083 people were injured in the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Monday after noon near the town of Cianjur.
The quake threw terrified residents onto the streets, some covered in blood and debris, and caused buildings around the rural area to collapse.
In addition to the fatalities, authorities reported that more than 300 people were seriously injured and at least 600 others suffered minor injuries.
In the village of Cijedil, northwest of Cianjur, the earthquake triggered a landslide that blocked streets and swept away several houses. About 20 people are still missing, said the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, Henri Alfiandi.
Most of those who died were public school students who had completed their classes for the day and were taking additional lessons at Islamic schools when the buildings collapsed, Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said.
President Joko Widodo visited Cianjur on Tuesday to reassure people about the government’s response to reach those in need.
“On my behalf and on behalf of the government, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the victims and their families in this Cianjur earthquake,” he said after visiting survivors in shelters on a plot. of soccer.
He pledged to rebuild infrastructure, including the main bridge linking Cianjur with other cities, and provide financial assistance to the government.
The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, and was also felt as far away as the greater Jakarta area, about a three-hour drive away.
The country of more than 270 million people is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis due to its location on the arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific basin known as the of “Ring of Fire”.