At least 46 people were killed after an earthquake hit Indonesia’s main island Java, on Monday, reported AFP citing local sources. The tremors of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake were also felt in the towns of south Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. The impact of the earthquake left 700 people injured.
BREAKING: At least 46 people have been killed in an earthquake on Indonesia’s main island of Java, with another 700 injured, a government official says. https://t.co/0JKi3a3uVn
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 21, 2022
The US Geological Survey said the 5.6-magnitude quake was centered in the Cianjur region of West Java province at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Dozens of buildings, including houses, have been damaged, Cianjur district local officials said.
Herman Suherman, the head of Cianjur’s administration told broadcaster Metro TV, “The information I got for now, in this hospital alone, nearly 20 died and at least 300 people are being treated. Most of them had fractures from being trapped by the ruins of buildings.”
Local officials in Cianjur district said dozens of buildings, including houses, were damaged. The quake was strongly felt in the greater Jakarta area. High-rises in the capital swayed for more than three minutes and some were evacuated.
“The quake felt so strong. My colleagues and I decided to get out of our office on the ninth floor with emergency stairs,” said Vidi Primadhania, an employee in South Jakarta.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) had earlier reported the quake’s magnitude as 5.4.
#UPDATE An earthquake shook buildings in Indonesia’s capital, according to AFP reporters, although there were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake had a magnitude of 5.4 and struck near towns south of Jakarta, according to the United States Geological Survey.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 21, 2022
The quake damaged several buildings and triggered a landslide. It was centered in the Cianjur region of West Java, according to the USGS, and the impact was felt as far away as the capital of Jakarta.
“There have been dozens of people killed. So far, 44 people have died,” Adam, a spokesman for the local administration in Cianjur town, as quoted by AFP.
Adam further informed that as many as thousands of houses could have been damaged in the quake.
#earthquake in #Cianjur of Indonesia.
5.6 magnitude Earthquake left 30 dead and over 300 injured. Heartbreaking and Devestating visuals from #Indonesia
Pray for Cianjur people. pic.twitter.com/kb9NMGe07o
— Shiba Khan (@ShibaKh48733268) November 21, 2022
The local administration chief in the town worst hit by the tremor said most of the deaths were counted in one hospital alone.
“The information I got for now, in this hospital alone, nearly 20 died and at least 300 people are being treated,” Herman Suherman told broadcaster Metro TV. He added that most of them had fractures from being trapped by the ruins of buildings.
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“We are currently handling people who are in an emergency state in this hospital. The ambulances keep on coming from the villages to the hospital,” he said.
He added, “There are many families in villages that have not been evacuated.”
According to AFP, country’s disaster chief Suharyanto said that at least 14 people had died in the Cianjur area but said information was “still developing”.
Quick #Update: The death toll of #Indonesia‘s earthquake has risen to 46 with over 700 injured. The quake was registered at 5.5 on the Richter scale with a focal depth of 10 kilometers.#Earthquake pic.twitter.com/sXpOOwQngx
— Media Warrior (@MediaWarriorY) November 21, 2022
Indonesia’s meteorological agency warned residents near the quake to watch out for more tremors.
“We call on people to stay outside the buildings for now as there might be potential aftershocks,” the head of Indonesia’s meteorological agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, told reporters. There were no reports of casualties or major damage in Jakarta.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.
A 6.2-magnitude quake in January last year has hit Sulawesi Island killing more than 100 people and leaving thousands homeless.
(With Agency Inputs)
