Comment MEDAN, Indonesia — More than 160 people were killed in the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday at 1:21 a.m. local time, local officials said. Disaster management officials in Cianjur regency, near the epicenter, issued a statement late Monday saying at least 162 people had died and hundreds more were injured in the disaster, believed to be the deadliest this year in Indonesia, a country prone to earthquake. . This marked a significant jump from figures released earlier in the day and reflected ongoing efforts to pull victims from the rubble. “Most of those who died were hit by buildings. Some were hit in the head,” said Herman Suherman, head of the Cianjur regency. “All you can hear here is ambulance sirens everywhere.” How many disasters stunned experts and destroyed a corner of Indonesia More than 2,200 homes have been damaged, officials said, and about 13,000 people have been displaced. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of just six miles (10 kilometers), making it more destructive. Local television footage showed scenes of chaos as crowds of wounded, some bound and bleeding, rushed to hospitals and clinics for treatment. Some were taken in ambulances, but others, including small children, were taken on motorbikes or carried by relatives, witnesses said. Patients at Cianjur Hospital, some on stretchers, had to be evacuated outside for fear the building could collapse. Some members of the crowd ran inside to retrieve tables and other equipment to take the injured to safe locations, locals said. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed dozens and injured hundreds in Indonesia’s West Java province on November 21. (Video: Reuters) Ricky Susan, a local journalist in Cianjur, said he was drinking coffee in a barracks when the earthquake struck. By the time he walked out, the building behind him was still shaking violently, and across from the barracks, a mini market had been destroyed. “I saw a group of employees at the mini market standing outside the rubble and they were all crying,” he said. “I was told that one of them didn’t make it and was buried in the rubble.” Suhariado, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said the priority is to rescue the injured and transport them for medical treatment. Like many Indonesians, he has a name. Access to the affected area is likely to be a problem following the earthquake, which appears to have caused significant damage to the area’s infrastructure. Electricity and mobile phone service were patchy in parts of Cianjur. Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatic and Geophysical Agency, said during a press conference that the earthquake triggered a landslide on the outskirts of Cianjur, cutting off road access from the neighboring Puncak Pass, a mountain pass in West Java. He added that 45 aftershocks were recorded, but no tsunami warning was issued. The earthquake was felt in the neighboring cities of Sukabumi and Bandung. Residents of the capital Jakarta, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Cianjur, also felt significant shaking when the quake struck and some buildings were evacuated. Indonesia is located in a seismic zone and often experiences earthquakes, which can cause significant losses, especially when followed by tsunamis. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on the central island of Sulawesi killed more than 2,000 people, according to the United Nations. In 2009, an earthquake that hit southern Sumatra resulted in 1,117 deaths. Indonesia also often experiences extreme weather and other natural disasters near the end of the year when it is hit by heavy monsoon rains, which can cause floods and mudslides. “We must remain vigilant,” Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java province, told local reporters, adding that the government is ready to respond to any aftershocks or other emergencies. “This is the season of year-end disasters, which is scary,” he added. Rebecca Tan in Singapore contributed to this report.
