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Jokowi orders for immediate response as 15,000 displaced in Maluku earthquake
The evacuees are in dire need of first aid kits, clean water facilities as well as tents and tarpaulin to give them proper shelter, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
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Roughly 15,000 displaced residents are now awaiting aid and shelter as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called on authorities on Friday to speed up disaster relief efforts in the affected areas of, among others, Ambon city, Central Maluku and West Seram regencies. (Antara/Izaak Mulyawan)
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6.5-magnitude earthquake that jolted parts of Maluku on Thursday has left at least 19 people dead and hundreds of others injured, with tens of thousands of local residents fleeing their homes as tremors continued until Friday.
Roughly 15,000 displaced residents are now awaiting aid and shelter as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called on authorities on Friday to speed up disaster relief efforts in the affected areas of, among others, Ambon city, Central Maluku and West Seram regencies.
The evacuees are in dire need of first aid kits, clean water facilities as well as tents and tarpaulin to give them proper shelter, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Muhamad Lestaluhu, a resident of Tulehu village in Central Maluku regency, was among the thousands of residents who had fled to open forest areas and valleys on Thursday evening for fear of powerful aftershocks – even though they lacked the proper equipment to set up a camp.
“We have not received a tent from anyone, but it’s alright. What’s important is that we are safe here,” Lestaluhu said as quoted by kompas.com.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) first reported that the earthquake was felt at 6:46 a.m. Jakarta time on Thursday and had a magnitude of 6.8, an epicenter located about 40 kilometers northeast of Ambon and a depth of 10 km.
The agency later revised the quake’s magnitude to 6.5. No tsunami alert was issued.
