Indonesia: Java Quake Kills Over 160 and Injures Hundreds
On Monday, the Indonesian island of Java was hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 162 people and injured hundreds. Search and rescue teams are still searching in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Facts
- On Monday, the Indonesian island of Java was hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 162 people and injured hundreds. Search and rescue teams are still searching in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
- The earthquake was centered in the Cianjur area in West Java and struck at a depth of 6.2 miles. It did not create a tsunami.
- The earthquake damaged hundreds of homes, in addition to a boarding school, a hospital, and government buildings. Approximately 700 people were injured "because they were hit by collapsed buildings," according to Indonesian officials.
- Many of the casualties were students in a public school who had finished classes for the day and were taking additional lessons when the earthquake hit. The death toll is expected to rise further as many people are still trapped in isolated rural areas.
- Indonesia sits atop a highly active seismic zone, dubbed the "Pacific Ring of Fire," located around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire is where different plates on the Earth's crust converge and produce a high volume of earthquakes and volcanoes.
- Indonesia’s disaster management agency said the quake had displaced more than 5.3K people. Electricity was knocked offline, disrupting communications, while landslides made evacuations difficult.
Sources: BBC News, Wall Street Journal, NBC, Associated Press, Reuters, and Scmp.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Antara. With its vulnerable position in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is no stranger to catastrophic seismic events. It's vital to build on indigenous knowledge and local strength in Indonesian communities to develop plans and more resilient earthquake infrastructure. There are valuable lessons learned from past experiences that can help this vulnerable nation better withstand earthquakes over time.
- Narrative B, as provided by Al Jazeera. Indonesia has much work to do in the arena of building codes and earthquake safety. Failing masonry and lax regulations are part of the problem, as is the sheer level of risk in the Ring of Fire. Earthquake-resistant construction is a complex effort needing great attention—deadly events like these are a wake-up call for the government to step up.
