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CatastropheIndonesia

Indonesia earthquake: Widodo in Cianjur as death toll rises

November 22, 2022

Indonesian President Joko Widodo pledged financial assistance to the victims of the deadly earthquake. During the visit to affected area, he urged rescuers to find survivors still trapped under the rubble.

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People injured in an earthquake in the region of Cianjur in West Java are treated at a hospital.
Hundreds were injured and thousands displaced in the Java earthquakeImage: imago images/NurPhoto

Rescue operations on Indonesia's island of Java continued on Tuesday following a 5.6-magnitude earthquake , which local officials say has claimed at least 268 lives.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the hard-hit Cianjur district and offered his condolences, stressing that he has ordered the government to provide financial assistance to those whose homes were impacted.

The president made his way to the area by car "to ensure that access roads that were closed due to the earthquake have re-opened," in order to clear the way for any needed food, medicine or other aid.

The earthquake severed several roads leading to the largely rural, mountainous region, also causing a power outage. By Tuesday, 89% of electricity was restored.

Death toll on the rise

The latest count from disaster relief officials on Tuesday put the death toll from the earthquake and the landslides it caused at 268, in addition to 151 who remain missing.

The earthquake also left over 1,000 injured and nearly 60,000 displaced, damaging 22,000 houses, Suharyanto, the chief of the disaster agency who uses one name, told reporters. 

Rescuers continued to search the rubble. National Search and Rescue Agency head Henri Alfiandi said efforts were impacted by landslides and rough terrain.

"The challenge is the affected area is spread out. On top of that, the roads in these villages are damaged," Reuters quoted Alfiandi as saying.

The head of Indonesia's weather and geophysics agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, meanwhile warned of the upcoming rainy season, which peaks next month, potentially triggering more landslides. 

Cianjur, a town with roughly 175,000 people, is located in a mountainous district of the same name with over 2.5 million inhabitants. The town is known for having a large number of mosques and Islamic boarding schools.

Indonesia is situated on the so-called "Ring of Fire" — a region around the rim of the Pacific Basin that is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The country of 270 million is frequently struck by quakes.

rmt/dj (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)