M5.6 Earthquake Hits Cianjur, Java, Indonesia

Rescuers are digging through debris on Tuesday to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that toppled homes and buildings in a highly populated area of Indonesia’s West Java province, killing more than 100 people.

The 5.6-magnitude quake hit the Cianjur region in West Java about 1:21 p.m. local time on Monday at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), causing buildings to collapse while school classes were underway.

On Tuesday the death toll rose to 103 people with most crushed under collapsed buildings, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). Earlier, West Java’s governor, Ridwan Kamil, said more than 160 had been killed – the reason for the discrepancy remains unclear.

Photos showed buildings reduced to rubble, with bricks and scraps of broken metal strewn on the streets. More than 700 people were injured, and thousands more displaced, according to the BNPB.

“The majority of those who died were children,” Kamil told reporters Monday, adding the death toll was likely to increase further. “So many incidents occurred at several Islamic schools.”

The powerful tremors forced children to flee from their classrooms, according to aid group Save the Children, which said more than 50 schools had been impacted.

Mia Saharosa, a teacher at one of the affected schools, said the earthquake “was a shock to all of us,” according to the group.

“We all gathered in the field, children were terrified and cried, worried about their families at home,” Saharosa said. “We hug each other, strengthen each other, and continue to pray.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/21/asia/e...

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