Indonesia’s Jokowi orders emergency response after strong quake hits Java

A magnitude 6 quake rocked Indonesia’s Java island, killing at least eight people, including a woman on a motorcycle who was hit by falling rocks

This was the second disaster to hit Indonesia in a week, after Tropical Cyclone Seroja caused a downpour that killed over 170 and left dozens missing

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Indonesian soldiers help clear up rubble at a house damaged by an earthquake in Malang, East Java. Photo: AP

Published: 7:22pm, 11 Apr 2021Updated: 7:26pm, 11 Apr 2021

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered swift rescue and relief efforts after at least eight people died in a strong earthquake on the country’s main island of Java.

Saturday’s quake caused falling rocks to kill a woman on a motorcycle and badly injured her husband in East Java’s Lumajang district, officials said. It damaged more than 1,300 buildings.

“I have ordered … immediate emergency response to search and find victims under the rubble and to treat the wounded,” the president, known by his popular name Jokowi, said in broadcast remarks.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.0 quake struck off the island’s southern coast at 2pm on Saturday. It was centred 45km (28 miles) south of Sumberpucung town of Malang District in East Java province, at a depth of 82km (51 miles).

People salvage their belongings from a house damaged by an earthquake in Lumajang, East Java province. Photo: Reuters

Rahmat Triyono, the head of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami centre, said the undersea tremblor did not have the potential to cause a tsunami. Still, he urged people to stay away from slopes of soil or rocks that have the potential for landslides.

Two shelters for the displaced have been set up in the town of Lumajang.