(Cianjur) Victims of the earthquake that killed at least 268 people in Indonesia are crying out for food aid and water on Wednesday in ravaged villages, where rescuers continue to search the rubble in the hope of finding more disaster survivors.
Authorities have warned that the debris must be cleared urgently around the town of Cianjur, the most affected by the earthquake, to prevent flash floods or mudslides which are likely to be triggered by the heavy rains expected these days. next days.
A magnitude 5.6 quake hit the province of West Java, the most populous of this Southeast Asian archipelago, on Monday. The latest assessment of the disaster reports 268 dead, several hundred injured and 151 missing.
Two days after the disaster that destroyed their house, residents are trying to recover family photos, religious books and marriage certificates among the ruins.
“We got food aid, but it’s not enough. We have rice, instant noodles, mineral water, but not enough,” Mustafa, a 23-year-old resident of Gasol village, told AFP.
He has just searched the rubble of the house of his neighbour, an old lady, at his request. Returning with a pile of clothes, he leaves to collect rice, a gas stove and stoves.
“We don’t have any clothes and we haven’t changed for days, so I’m looking for clothes in the rubble,” he said.
Landslide risk
Rescuers are still searching the rubble for possible survivors and the government has sent tents and other equipment for the Cianjur refugees.
On site, everything is missing, explains Yunisa Yuliani, a 31-year-old resident.
“My child has a fever and cannot eat. There are a lot of old people here and children. Children need milk, nappies, food and medicine,” she says.
Residents of Cianjur began burying their loved ones according to Islamic rites after being allowed to collect the remains from morgues.
During the rainy season, which began and will peak in December, the archipelago is prone to landslides and flash floods.
The weather services announce a risk of thunderstorms in Cianjur soon, potentially dangerous after an earthquake.
“We need to be vigilant about a potential second natural disaster, such as a landslide,” Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency, warned at a press conference on Tuesday.
The region has recorded 145 aftershocks since Monday’s main tremor, ranging in magnitude from 1.2 to 4.2, the official said.
Deadliest since 2018
In February, an earthquake in West Pasaman on the island of Sumatra, which claimed several lives, weakened an area where flash floods occurred a few weeks later.
The bed of some rivers was blocked by the earthquake as well as landslides, causing dangerous overflows, explained Dwikorita Karnawati, who believes that such a situation could happen again in Cianjur.
“We must urgently clear the materials and debris that are clogging the waterways in the highest hills.”
Located on the Pacific “ring of fire” where tectonic plates meet, Indonesia is regularly confronted with earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
This earthquake is the deadliest in Indonesia since 2018, when the region of Palu (Island of Celebes) was hit by an earthquake and a tsunami, causing the death of more than 4,000 people. The same year, more than 500 people were killed following an earthquake on the island of Lombok.
In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people on the island of Celebes.