Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to assist hundreds of individuals displaced by a deadly earthquake in West Java, as landslides attributable to rain and rugged mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams.
Monday’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (50 miles) south of the capital Jakarta, killed no less than 271 people and sent hundreds sheltering in tents with scant supplies of medical and aid supplies. .
Suharyanto, head of the disaster relief agency, said Thursday that many individuals had not received aid and nearly 200 volunteers were deployed to assist distribute water, easy food, tents and diapers.
Survivors, including the elderly and young children, hunkered down in military tents arrange a long way from devastated villages, while others lined as much as receive aid packages from volunteers.
A ‘blessed’ baby was born and a ‘miracle’ boy rescued from the rubble in Indonesia
A ‘blessed’ baby was born and a ‘miracle’ boy rescued from the rubble in Indonesia
Residents of Sukamanah village said they were having to ration food and were running out of baby supplies, including medicines, diapers and milk.
Ema Hermawati, the wife of the village headman, stated that sanitation was lacking as garbage began to build up and there was no running water or portable toilets.
President Joko Widodo visited the earthquake site for a second time on Thursday and urged aid distribution and rescue operations to proceed as quickly as possible
“Conditions are steep,” he said of the rugged terrain, adding that tents and water were briefly supply. “It’s still raining and there are still aftershocks. The ground is unstable, so be careful.
With dozens of people still missing, rescuers used excavators and other heavy equipment to clear mud and debris in their search for victims. Some areas cut off by landslides could only be reached by helicopter.
Authorities said hopes of finding survivors had dwindled.
Search efforts focused on the village of Cijedil, where about 30 people are believed to be buried under a landslide, Joshua Banjarnahor of the national search and rescue agency told reporters.
Food seller Ahman, 52, said he lost his mother, wife and daughter, who he believed were buried when his stall on the edge of a cliff collapsed.
“I don’t expect them to survive because they have been buried for four days. I’m letting them go,” he said.
Indonesia is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world and regularly records strong earthquakes offshore along fault lines.
Monday’s quake was particularly deadly because it hit a densely populated area at a depth of just 10 km (six miles). Officials say poor construction standards also caused buildings to collapse, leading to many deaths.
Rebuilding Cianjur must comply with seismic design principles, he said
David Sanderson, a disaster risk reduction expert at the School of the Built Environment at the Australian University of New South Wales.
“If reconstruction is not properly managed, it may be sporadic, incomplete and fail to address future earthquake risks,” he said.
