Indonesia quake kills over 160, search for survivors continues
- The magnitude 5.6 earthquake was centred in the Cianjur region of West Java and was felt as far as 75km away, in the capital of Jakarta
- More than 2,200 houses were damaged and thousands of people were displaced
A powerful earthquake killed more than 160 people in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, with rescuers searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks.
The epicentre of the 5.6 magnitude quake was near the town of Cianjur in mountainous West Java, about 75km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta. The region is home to over 2.5 million people.
West Java governor Ridwan Kamil said on Instagram that 162 people had been killed and 326 were injured.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) still placed the death toll at 62 and rescuers were searching for 25 believed to be trapped under rubble and its spokesperson said the search would continue through the night.
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Indonesia rocked by earthquake, killing at least 56 people and leaving 700 injured
Ridwan told reporters that given many buildings have collapsed, the death toll could rise.