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MEDAN, Indonesia More than 160 people have been killed in a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s West Java province at 1:21 p.m. local time on Monday, according to local authorities.
Disaster management officials in Cianjur regency, near the epicenter of the quake, issued a statement late Monday saying at least 162 people were killed and hundreds more injured in the disaster, which is believed to be the deadliest this year in Indonesia, a country prone to earthquakes. . That marked a significant jump from figures released earlier in the day and reflected ongoing efforts to pull victims from the rubble.
“Most of those who died were hit by buildings. Some were hit in the head,” said Herman Suherman, head of Cianjur regency. “All you can hear here are ambulance sirens everywhere.”
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More than 2,200 homes have been damaged, officials said, with about 13,000 people displaced. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at a depth of only six miles (10 kilometers), making it more devastating.
Local television footage showed scenes of chaos as crowds of wounded, some bandaged and bleeding, rushed to hospitals and clinics for treatment. Some were transported in ambulances, but others, including small children, were taken on motorbikes or carried by relatives, witnesses said.
Patients at Cianjur Hospital, some on stretchers, had to be evacuated outside for fear the building might collapse. Some members of the crowd ran inside to retrieve tables and other equipment to carry the injured to safety, locals said.
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed hundreds and injured hundreds in Indonesia’s West Java province on November 21. (Video: Reuters)
Ricky Susan, a local journalist in Cianjur, said he was drinking coffee in a military barracks when the earthquake struck. When he ran outside, the building behind him was still shaking violently, and across the barracks, a minimart had been destroyed.
“I saw a group of minimarket employees standing outside the ruins and they were all crying,” he said. “I was told that one of them didn’t make it out and was buried in the rubble.”
Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said the priority was to rescue the injured and take them to medical treatment. Like many Indonesians, he has a name.
Access to the affected region is likely to be a problem following the earthquake, which appears to have significantly damaged infrastructure in the area. Electricity and mobile phone service were spotty in parts of Cianjur.
Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatic and Geophysical Agency, said during a press conference that the earthquake triggered a landslide on the outskirts of Cianjur, cutting off road access from neighboring Puncak Pass, a mountain route in West Java.
He added that 45 aftershocks were recorded, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The earthquake was felt in the neighboring cities of Sukabumi and Bandung. Residents of the capital, Jakarta, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Cianjur, also felt major tremors when the quake struck and some buildings were evacuated.
Indonesia is located in a seismic zone and often experiences earthquakes, which can cause significant casualties, especially when followed by tsunamis. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that was followed by a tsunami on the central island of Sulawesi killed more than 2,000 people, according to the United Nations. In 2009, an earthquake that struck southern Sumatra resulted in 1,117 deaths.
Indonesia also often experiences extreme weather events and other natural disasters near the end of the year, when it is hit by heavy monsoon rains, which can cause floods and mudslides.
“We have to remain vigilant,” Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java province, told local reporters, adding that the government was ready to respond to any aftershocks or other emergencies.
“This is the disaster season at the end of the year, which is scary,” he added.
Rebecca Tan in Singapore contributed to this report.