Hundreds in search for missing after Indonesia earthquake
Rescue teams were racing against the clock to find at least 151 people listed as missing and face many obstacles due to the breadth of the affected areas and the conditions on the ground following Monday’s magnitude-5.6 earthquake, EFE reports.
«The obstacles we face are because the distribution or reach of the affected areas is quite wide. In addition, the victim’s data can change at any time,» the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Henri Alfiandi, said in a statement Wednesday.
The death toll sits at 268, while more than 1,080 people were injured and about 58,300 were displaced, according to the latest data provided by the authorities.
The number of victims that may remain under the rubble of collapsed buildings is still unknown, and several roads to more remote areas are blocked by landslides.
For this reason, the authorities have indicated that the number of dead, injured and missing may increase «considerably.»
In addition to volunteers and other government agencies, a total of 12 Basarnas teams have been mobilized, as well as helicopters, rescue vehicles, trucks and specialist units to free victims.
The operations were concentrating on 12 areas including Cianjur, the epicenter of the earthquake, although specific searches were also being carried out in other localities.
Among the casualties were many children, as the earthquake occurred at 1.21 pm local time (06:21 GMT) and wreaked havoc in about 80 educational centers, according to data released by the NGO Save the Children Indonesia.
«We don’t know yet how many children have been injured or killed but this earthquake struck when classrooms were full of children. Many fled in tears, not knowing what was happening,» Fadli Usman, Save the Children’s response team leader in Cianjur, said in a statement.
Usman added that the organization will have a «clearer idea» in the next 24 hours about «the true extent of the damage and loss of life.»
Authorities were also working to assist the nearly 60,000 people displaced by the tragedy, many of whom are sheltering in makeshift camps.
The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure has installed tents in the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, while teams of volunteers are providing those affected with water, food, clothing, blankets and medical aid.
Monday’s earthquake is the second deadliest in the country since 2018, when an earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi killed more than 4,000 people.
Photo: efe.com