According to the latest tally published on Wednesday (23), the number of deaths on the earthquake and aftershocks that hit the island of West Java, in Indonesia, reached 271, most of them children and young people. With this, the rescuers deployed in the affected areas have intensified their search for the survivors, considering that the total number of missing people is 40 people. Read on and stay up to date with this news.
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Earthquake in Indonesia
Last Tuesday (21), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported that 22,000 homes were affected and around 58,000 people had to seek shelter in different areas of the region. Roads were also hit and a large area was affected by the quake, making it difficult for rescue workers to find new survivors.
With a magnitude of 5.6, the earthquake hit a region of mountainous terrain a day before hitting other areas of West Java with greater force, creating landslides that completely buried villages near the town of Cianjur in West Java.
After the walls and roofs collapsed, victims were trapped or trapped in the rubble. According to a representative from the National Search and Rescue Agency, most of the victims were teenagers and children. Because by 1 p.m. when the quake struck, they were all in their schools.
The earthquake, which reached about 10 km, produced several aftershocks that, when they happened, destroyed the houses that had less structure to withstand all the impacts.
Being located in the “Ring of Fire” region, which is characterized by tectonic activity in the Pacific region, Indonesia is very prone to earthquakes.