No fewer than 46 persons have lost their lives in a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that tore through the island of Java, Indonesia, on Monday.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck the Cianjur region in West Java at a depth of 10 kilometres, sending residents scampering for safety.
The disaster left 700 more people injured while several houses and properties were destroyed in the wreckage, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) confirmed.
“There are 46 dead people at the Cianjur regional hospital and around 700 injured people. Many were hurt because they were hit by collapsed buildings,” Suharyanto, the NDMA boss, said.
According to Aljazeera, several tremors were also reported in Jakarta, the country’s capital, forcing the evacuation of high rises in the city.
More details are being gathered to ascertain the magnitude of damage and casualties.
Earthquakes happen frequently across Indonesia, but Jakarta has never been this affected.
Indonesia’s location geographically on the fault lines in the Pacific Basin, called the ‘Ring of Fire’, has made the country and its 270 million citizens susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
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