Indonesia quake death toll rises to over 250, 151 others missing
The death toll from Monday’s magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Java Island in Indonesia rose to more than 250 with 151 unaccounted for, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
More than 20,000 houses were damaged and over 58,000 people were displaced after the quake struck Sukabumi Regency, West Java Province, at 1:21 pm at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the agency.
The quake also hit neighboring Cianjur Regency and was felt in the capital Jakarta about 100 km north of Sukabumi, leaving at least 268 people dead and 1,083 others injured, the agency said.
The regencies are home to around 5.2 million people.
“Most of the victims were children because the earthquake occurred when children were studying in madrassas and Islamic boarding schools,” West Java Gov. Ridwan Kamil told a press conference late Monday.
The governor added that most of the victims suffered broken bones when buildings collapsed.
“It was scary. I was so afraid,” said Fitri Purnamasar, a 10-year-old girl from a village in Cianjur who was taken to a local hospital after her right leg was scolded by hot water during the quake.
The quake caused a landslide that blocked the main road connecting Jakarta and West Java and 145 aftershocks were recorded after the temblor.
Indonesia, with a population of over 270 million, is one of the most active seismic regions in the world, sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.