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Dozens dead after 5.6-magnitude quake strikes West Java
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Wounded people rest under a tent outside a hospital following an earthquake in Cianjur, West Java, on Monday. (STR/AFP)
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5.6-magnitude earthquake that shook West Java on Monday has killed at least 62 people and injured hundreds more, as authorities warn the numbers are likely to rise with many still trapped beneath rubble.
At a press briefing after the quake, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Dwikorita Karnawati said the earthquake’s epicenter was located 10 kilometers below Sukalarang district in Sukabumi regency, West Java.
While the epicenter was in Sukabumi, most of the casualties have been reported in the neighboring Cianjur regency.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported on Monday night that at least 62 lives had been lost to the quake and that 79 people were severely injured across the regency. The deaths and injuries were centered in the villages of Rancagoong, Limbangansari and Cugenang.
Twenty five people were also reportedly still trapped under rubble in Cijedil village, and 5,839 people had sought shelter at evacuation points.
Authorities also reported a power outage in Cianjur at one point, which hampered communication in the area.
"So many buildings crumbled and shattered," Java Governor Ridwan Kamil told reporters, as quoted by Reuters. "There are residents trapped in isolated places [...] so we are under the assumption that the number of the injured and deaths will rise with time."
