At least 56 people died and hundreds were injured this Monday in an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale in West Java province, according to the latest data announced by authorities.
The previous balance of the Indonesian authorities indicated 46 dead in the earthquake. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB, in Indonesian), which confirmed the 56 dead, is updating throughout the day the number of deaths and injuries in the earthquake.
The magnitude of the earthquake was updated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 5.4 initially reported to 5.6 on the Richter scale. The USGS said that the earthquake was located in the Cianjur region, in the province of West Java, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Cianjur government spokesman Adam [como muitos indonésios, o responsável só tem um nome] said most victims died in Sayang hospital.
Amid chaos, fears of landslides and victims trapped in the rubble, authorities expect the death toll to rise as the hours pass.
Speaking to local media, Cianjur administrative chief Herman Suherman said the tremors had injured around 700 people.
“Victims continue to arrive from many areas. Around 700 people were injured,” Suherman told Kompas TV.
Suherman added that due to the damage caused by the earthquake, many roads and highways in the region are closed and some electricity distribution stations were affected, causing power cuts in several locations.
25 concussions in two hours
After the initial earthquake, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded 25 aftershocks in just two hours.
In videos released by local authorities, it is possible to see dozens of people, some unconscious, receiving medical attention and being taken by ambulance to health centers in the region.
Likewise, the images show several properties and facilities damaged, while some houses were completely destroyed by the tremor, which was felt in the capital, Jakarta, located about 75 kilometers from the epicenter.
O earthquake impact caused serious damage to at least 343 homes and an Islamic boarding school, while Cianjur hospital suffered moderate damage🇧🇷
Destruction was also recorded in at least four government buildings, three schools, a church and several local storesaccording to the latest official balance sheet.
The authorities ruled out the danger “potential ‘tsunami'”🇧🇷
Indonesia is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity where around 7,000 earthquakes are recorded annually, most of them moderate.
One of the deadliest catastrophes in the country occurred in 2004, when a strong earthquake in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra generated a ‘tsunami’ that caused more than 226,000 deaths in a dozen nations bordering the Indian Ocean.
Source: Sicnoticias
