Strong quake kills 162 in Indonesia

PNS|Cianjur (Indonesia)

A strong, shallow earthquake toppled buildings and walls on Indonesia’s densely populated main island on Monday, killing at least 162 people and injuring hundreds of others as residents fled into the street, some covered in blood and debris. Officials were gathering information on the toll of those injured and killed by the quake in the remote area.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said the number of confirmed dead had risen to 162. “The majority of those who died were children,” he said. Many were public school students who had finished their regular classes and were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools, he said. Kamil said more than 13,000 people whose homes had been heavily damaged were being taken to evacuation centres.

Emergency workers treated the injured on stretchers and blankets outside hospitals, on terraces and in parking lots in the Cianjur region, about three hours drive from the capital, Java. The injured, including children, were given oxygen masks and IV lines and were being resuscitated.