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CatastropheIndonesia

Indonesia earthquake death toll hits 321 as search continues

November 27, 2022

A week after a deadly quake struck Indonesia's main island of Java, rescuers are still finding more bodies. Aid workers have also reached remote areas to assist those displaced by the catastrophe.

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Rescuers carry a body bag containing the newly-recovered body of an earthquake victim in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia,
Rescuers have recovered more bodies of victims from the massive earthquake in Cianjur, West JavaImage: Dicky Bisinglasi/AP/picture alliance

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Indonesia's main island of Java this week has risen to 321 after rescuers found more bodies.

Suharyanto, the head of the National Disaster Management Agency who uses one name, said rescuers found three more bodies on Sunday after eight were found on Saturday.

They will resume their search on Monday, focusing on areas where the missing are believed to have been buried.

Thousands of homes damaged and people displaced

The 5.6-magnitude quake struck the highly populated Cianjur region of West Java province on Monday.

It damaged more than 62,000 houses and displaced more than 73,000 residents.

"Aid workers are gradually reaching affected residents in remote villages with logistics and food supplies and erecting tents for them," said Suharyanto.

While the magnitude of the earthquake itself would typically be expected to cause light damage, experts have said that proximity to fault lines, the shallowness of the quake and inadequate infrastructure unable to withstand earthquakes all contributed to the extensive damage.

Experts monitoring seismic activity said 284 aftershocks with gradually lessening intensity have occurred since the main quake struck on Monday.

lo/fb (AFP, dpa)