Toll in Indonesia Quake Rises to 57
The death toll in Indonesia earthquake has risen to 57 as the rescuers tried to dig through rocks and rubble to find over 42 people missing in West Java, said the Disaster Management Agency.
Priyadi Kardono, spokesperson of the agency, said that the strong earthquake had smashed up 11, 039 houses and slightly destroyed 13, 046.
According to Rustam Pakaya, head of the crisis center of the Health Ministry, the quake displaced 5, 000 people, most of whom are now living in makeshift tents now.
He said that over 90 people received serious injuries while 400 others minor ones. In addition, 16 health facilities were destroyed in the quake.
It was predicted 42 people were still buried under the debris of houses hit by landslides, he said.
“Searching for those who go missing is underway now,” he told.
The earthquake struck western parts of Indonesia on Wednesday, causing panic in some cities and potential for a tsunami, but the tsunami did not occur.
The quake struck at 2:55 p.m. Jakarta time (0755 GMT) with the epicenter at 142 km southwest Tasik Malaya of West Java and at a depth of 30 km, the meteorology agency said.
