An earthquake in Indonesia leaves at least 162 dead and hundreds injured

• Writing
• BBC News World

21 November 2022, 14:52 GMT

updated 3 hours

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image source, Archyde.com

Caption,

A collapsed building in Cianjur.

An earthquake on the main Indonesian island of Java left at least 162 dead and hundreds injured and missing on Monday, the region’s governor, Ridwan Kamil, said.

The 5.6-magnitude quake struck the West Java city of Cianjur at a depth of 10 km, according to data from the US Geological Survey.

As a result of the earthquake, dozens of people were rushed to hospital, while others were treated on the streets.

Rescue teams worked through the night to try to save other people who are believed to be still trapped under the collapsed buildings.

image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Injuries from the earthquake treated on the street in Cianjur.

The quake was felt 100 kilometers away, in the capital Jakarta. The site where it occurred is densely populated and prone to landslides, with poorly built houses reduced to rubble in many areas.

According to the latest figures provided by Kamil, more than 13,000 people have been displaced in the Cianjur area and more than 2,200 houses have been damaged.

Earlier, the West Java governor said more than 700 people had been injured.

He said the number of injuries and fatalities is likely to rise because “a lot of people” are still trapped.

image source, Archyde.com

Caption,

Damaged school in Cianjur.

Herman Suherman, head of the Cianjur city administration, said most of the injured had broken bones.

“Ambulances continue to arrive from the villages to the hospital,” the AFP news agency declared early in the day. “There are many families in the villages that have not been evacuated.”

Many of the injured were treated outside in a hospital parking lot following the hospital lost power for several hours following the quake, the West Java governor said.

Office workers rushed out of buildings during the tremor, which began at 1:21 p.m. West Indonesian Time (WIT) on Monday, the agency said.

“I was working when the ground under me started to shake. I might clearly feel the tremor. I tried not to do anything to process what it was, but it got stronger and lasted for some time,” lawyer Mayadita Waluyo told AFP.

image source, Getty Images

Caption,

Damaged building in Cianjur.

An office worker named Ahmad Ridwan told Archyde.com news agency: “We are used to this (earthquakes) in Jakarta, but people were very nervous right now, so we also panicked.”

Earthquakes are common in Indonesia, which lies in the “ring of fire” area of ​​Pacific tectonic activity. The country has a history of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, with more than 2,000 killed in a 2018 earthquake on Sulawesi.

image source, Getty Images

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