Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 310

The earthquake in Cianjur, an agricultural region in West Java, killed 310 people and destroyed tens of thousands of houses; dozens of people are still missing.
The death toll from Monday's catastrophic earthquake in Indonesia's most populous province has risen to 310, officials said. officials announced Friday, after days of rescue efforts that had been hampered by heavy rains, roads blocked by landslides, communication lines destroyed and powerful aftershocks. Twenty-four people are still missing, as search efforts continue.
Officials had put the death toll from the shallow magnitude 5 earthquake .6, which shook a mountainous region and caused damage across a wide area of disparate villages separated by rough and hilly roads, at 272 on Thursday afternoon. Some local officials had said previous figures given by the central government were underestimated, in part because some families had buried their dead soon after the quake, before responders reached their villages. Officials said they were working to cross-check data by collecting death certificates or registering the identity of victims at cemeteries in all affected villages.
The earthquake in Cianjur, an agricultural region in West Java province famous for its rice, destroyed tens of thousands of homes and triggered massive landslides that engulfed entire communities. About a third of those killed were children who had been trapped in collapsing homes or schools, in a rural area with lax building standards, officials said in the days after the quake. /p>
The number of dead and injured, as well as tens of thousands of people driven from their homes, was high even in Indonesia, where earthquakes and other natural disasters are almost daily. Officials said sloping terrain and unstable ground contributed to the extent of the damage.
Some villages remained inaccessible by land for more than two days after the earthquake, which was particularly destructive. because the epicenter was only about 6 miles deep, meaning the seismic waves lost less of their strength as they traveled toward the earth's surface. Strong tremors were also felt in the capital, Jakarta, 60 miles away.
Indonesia is an archipelago of about 270 million people that lies between lies at the meeting point of several tectonic plates and along an arc of volcanoes and faults. The devastation caused by powerful earthquakes has been exacerbated by landslides caused by deforestation, small-scale mining and urban development.

World Nov 25, 2022 0 51 Add to Reading List

Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 310

The earthquake in Cianjur, an agricultural region in West Java, killed 310 people and destroyed tens of thousands of houses; dozens of people are still missing.

The death toll from Monday's catastrophic earthquake in Indonesia's most populous province has risen to 310, officials said. officials announced Friday, after days of rescue efforts that had been hampered by heavy rains, roads blocked by landslides, communication lines destroyed and powerful aftershocks. Twenty-four people are still missing, as search efforts continue.

Officials had put the death toll from the shallow magnitude 5 earthquake .6, which shook a mountainous region and caused damage across a wide area of disparate villages separated by rough and hilly roads, at 272 on Thursday afternoon. Some local officials had said previous figures given by the central government were underestimated, in part because some families had buried their dead soon after the quake, before responders reached their villages. Officials said they were working to cross-check data by collecting death certificates or registering the identity of victims at cemeteries in all affected villages.

The earthquake in Cianjur, an agricultural region in West Java province famous for its rice, destroyed tens of thousands of homes and triggered massive landslides that engulfed entire communities. About a third of those killed were children who had been trapped in collapsing homes or schools, in a rural area with lax building standards, officials said in the days after the quake. /p>

The number of dead and injured, as well as tens of thousands of people driven from their homes, was high even in Indonesia, where earthquakes and other natural disasters are almost daily. Officials said sloping terrain and unstable ground contributed to the extent of the damage.

Some villages remained inaccessible by land for more than two days after the earthquake, which was particularly destructive. because the epicenter was only about 6 miles deep, meaning the seismic waves lost less of their strength as they traveled toward the earth's surface. Strong tremors were also felt in the capital, Jakarta, 60 miles away.

Indonesia is an archipelago of about 270 million people that lies between lies at the meeting point of several tectonic plates and along an arc of volcanoes and faults. The devastation caused by powerful earthquakes has been exacerbated by landslides caused by deforestation, small-scale mining and urban development.