A 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, with rescuers trying to reach survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks as night fell.
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil confirmed 56 deaths from the quake, whose epicenter was the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta, where some buildings shook and some offices were evacuated.
The national disaster agency (BNPB) said 23 people were likely still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. More than 1,770 houses were damaged and nearly 3,900 people had been displaced in Cianjur, spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
Indonesia straddles the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the Earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil confirmed 56 deaths from the quake, whose epicenter was the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta, where some buildings shook and some offices were evacuated.
The national disaster agency (BNPB) said 23 people were likely still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. More than 1,770 houses were damaged and nearly 3,900 people had been displaced in Cianjur, spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
Indonesia straddles the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the Earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
