Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief over the damage to property and loss of lives from the earthquake that jolted the Indonesian island of Java.
PM Modi tweeted, “Saddened by the loss of lives and damage to property from the earthquake in Indonesia. Deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands with Indonesia in this hour of grief.” At least 162 people lost their lives in a life taking earthquake that rattled Indonesia’s main island of Java on Monday. According to the reports, the rescuers are searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks.
The 5.6-magnitude earthquake’s epicentre was close to the town of Cianjur in West Java’s mountainous region, roughly 75 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of the nation’s capital, Jakarta. There are about 2.5 million people living in the area.
The tremors, which were detected in Cianjur in West Java at a depth of 10 km, caused several buildings to be demolished. Numerous structures, including a hospital, an Islamic boarding school, and other public buildings, suffered damage.
Although no estimates can be made, but the toll is expected to rise further. According to the reports, the residents of Cianjur live mostly in towns of single and two storey-buildings and in smaller homes in the surrounding countryside.
Governor of West Java Ridwan Kamil revealed the latest death toll in the remote region, saying that many of the victims were public school students who had finished their day’s classes and were attending after-hours classes at several Islamic schools when they collapsed.
More than 13,000 individuals, whose homes had suffered severe damage, were brought to evacuation centres, according to Kamil. According to reports, he claimed on his Instagram page that 326 additional people had been hurt.
According to Kamil, “there were so many shattered and collapsed buildings.” “There are locals trapped in remote locations, so we are assuming that the number of injuries and fatalities will increase over time.”