Seven days after a huge earthquake devastated West Java, only 29 of the 50 bodies reportedly buried in a landslide in the Cianjur regency have been retrieved, as the death toll rose to 79, rescuers and officials said Tuesday.
Data from the West Java disaster management team shows that at least 21 bodies were still missing after the quake-triggered landslide buried Cikangkareng village in Cianjur, some 100 kilometers south of Jakarta.
Team spokesman Denny Juanda said his team would continue trying to retrieve more bodies on Wednesday, although the regulation on search and rescue efforts stipulates searching can stop seven days after the disaster.
Once no more bodies are found, the rescuers will talk to the bereaved families before deciding to halt the search, he added.
Denny said the rescuers saw the body of a missing victim but failed to retrieve it because it was buried under a huge stone.
"We will talk about such cases with the families of the missing victims," he added.
Denny also complained about reports from local administrations on the number of refugees displaced by the quake, which he said kept changing.
"Regarding the issue of aid, please try to be honest. Don't make use of the disaster for personal interests."
For example, he cited the number of the refugees had jumped to 186,075 on Monday, compared to the 114,356 reported a day earlier. The number shot up to more than 210,000 refugees on Tuesday, he added.
"Therefore, we are asking for the figures to be verified by civil society groups, the police and the military. They should all be honest."
The death toll from the quake has risen to 79, according to latest Indonesia's National Disaster Management Body (BNPB) report.
The BNPB stated that out of the 79 dead, 31 were from Cianjur, nine from Garut, five from Sukabumi, five from Tasikmalaya, 17 from Bandung, one from West Bandung, two from Bogor and seven from Ciamis, and more than 1,250 people were injured.
In Cilacap, Central Java, some 6,000 quake refugees were still seeking refuge in tents, mosques and houses belonging to their neighbors and families.
Volunteers and police personnel meanwhile joined forces to rebuild the victims' damaged homes.
The Central Java Police said on Tuesday they had deployed some 300 officers to help rebuild houses around affected areas in the western part of Cilacap, so the victims would be able to celebrate Idul Fitri in their renovated homes with their families.
Four subdistricts in Cilacap -Bantarsari, Cipari, Sidareja and Kedungreja - were hit hard by the 7.3-magnitude quake, demolishing 445 houses and damaging 1,400 others.
In the meantime, a moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook Aceh at about 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday, but no damages were reported.
The quake was felt in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, particularly by people who were in high-rise buildings, Antara state news agency reported.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency located the epicenter of the quake at 243 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, and at a depth of 132 kilometers beneath the earth's surface.
On Monday, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Yogyakarta at 11:12 p.m., the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said.
No damage was reported although the quake caused panic.
The agency said the epicenter was 263 kilometers southeast of Wonosari, Yogyakarta, and at a depth of 35 kilometers.
The Jakarta Post's Tarko Sudiarno contributed to this story from Yogyakarta
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