Death Toll Might Rise Further After Indonesia Quake

With 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the largest archipelago nation which is located on a belt which is prone to volcanic and seismic activity, hence Indonesia is considered to be one of the most quake-prone places on the earth.

There have already been around 69 small aftershocks which followed the initial tremors on Wednesday. The fear of being buried under debris is still fresh in people's minds. An elderly woman in a Red Cross tent said, "I'm here because my house has collapsed and I am scared that there would be more tremors."

Immediately after the quake, a tsunami alert was issued which was later revoked. The worst affected areas are said to be Cianjur, Garut, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaza, Bandung district, West Bandung district, Bogor, Kuningan, Ciamis, Banjar city and Cilacap.

Dozens remain trapped under the debris

Dadang Sudardja, a rescue worker in one of the worst affected zones, said, "the quake destroyed thousands of houses, but we don't have too many deaths, because most of the people left their houses when the quake started. Most of the victims are from a village called Cikangkareng. Around 15 houses collapsed here and approximately 50 persons are still trapped under the debris. We're still evacuating, but it's difficult because of the landslides and the amount of debris."

With more than 20,000 houses partially or completely damaged, the quake survivors are now in urgent need of basic necessities like tents. With heavy digging equipment still on the way, the rescue workers in some places are digging through the rubble with their bare hands. Sudardja said, "we mostly need emergency equipment, we don't have enough tents, blankets, food and medicine. The quake destroyed a vast area. In Garut for example, covering small distances takes a lot of time. In Cianjur, most of the streets are destroyed."

UN team dispatched to the area

More than 300 schools and more than 300 places of worship were also damaged in the quake. The United Nations have set up a team to study the needs of the quake affected areas. Laksmita Noviera from the UN in Jakarta said, "several Indonesian NGOs are already in the field to conduct searches. There are ten people in the UN joint team and they will be there for couple of days to get first hand information from the field to see the situation in the field and to define immediate needs."

Countries like Australia, New Zealand and Japan have offered aid and assistance to Indonesia.

The Indonesian government is still trying to access the coastal areas which continue to be disconnected after the quake. The government fears that the casualty figures could rise dramatically once the communication is restored with these areas.

An earthquake of 9.15 magnitude in 2004 caused a massive tsunami killing more than 170,000 Indonesians.

Author: Pukhraj Choudhary
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein