A shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java on Monday, killing 44 people and injuring hundreds more.
According to NDTV, the landslide destroyed thousands of buildings.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake was centered in the Cianjur region of West Java but felt as far away as the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
“Dozens of people have been killed.” “So far, 44 people have died,” said Adam, a spokesman for the Cianjur town administration.
He estimated that the quake could have damaged thousands of homes.
Herman Suherman, the local administration chief in the town hardest hit by the tremor, said the majority of the deaths were recorded in a single hospital.
He stated that there are other casualties in surrounding villages, but he did not specify how many.
“According to the information I have right now, nearly 20 people died in this hospital alone, and at least 300 people are being treated,” Suherman said.
“The majority of them had fractures as a result of being trapped by building ruins.”
According to local media, the quake severely damaged a hospital, an Islamic boarding school, and several shops in town.
Broadcast images showed several buildings in Cianjur with collapsed roofs and debris lining the streets.
Suherman said relatives of victims had gathered at the town’s Sayang hospital, and he warned that the death toll could rise as villagers outside the town remained trapped.
“We are currently dealing with emergency patients in this hospital.” “Ambulances continue to arrive from the villages at the hospital,” he said.
“Many families remain in villages that have not been evacuated.”
Suharyanto, the country’s disaster chief who also goes by one name, said at least 14 people died in the Cianjur area but that information was “still developing.”
According to Cianjur police chief Doni Hermawan, authorities rescued a woman and a baby from a landslide, but a third person they discovered died from their injuries.
The country’s meteorological agency warned residents near the quake in Jakarta, the country’s capital, to be on the lookout for more tremors.
“We urge people to remain outside buildings for the time being because there may be aftershocks,” said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia’s meteorological agency.
In Jakarta, however, there were no reports of casualties or major damage.
Mayadita Waluyo, a 22-year-old lawyer, described how panicked workers in Jakarta ran for the exits as the earthquake struck.
“I was working when the floor beneath me began to shake. I could clearly feel the tremor. “I tried nothing to process what it was, but it became stronger and lasted for a while,” she explained.
“I’m feeling a little dizzy now, and my legs are cramped from walking down from the 14th floor.”