Another Earthquake, Another Tragedy for Indonesia

"The challenge is the affected area is spread out -- "

"On top of that, the roads in these villages are damaged."

"[Many of the victims were children at school at the time the quake hit]."

Henri Alfiandi, head, National Search and Rescue Agency

 

"Everything collapsed beneath me and I was crushed beneath this child."

"Two of my kids survived. I dug them up ... Two others I brought here [Cianjur hospital, in Cianjur, Indonesia] and one is still missing."

Cucu, 48, Cianjur resident

 

"At leas six of my relatives are still unaccounted for; three adults and three children."

"If it was just an earthquake, only the houses would collapse, but this is worse because of the landslide."

"In the residential areas there were eight houses, all of which were buried and swept away."

Zainuddin, Cugenant resident

Rescuers carry a body bag with a victim through the rubble of collapsed buildings during a rescue operation after earthquake hit in Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, November 22, 2022, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Yulius Satria Wijaya/ via REUTERS

Indonesians live with the potential danger of earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. That ever-present danger and the island group's history of catastrophic events killing thousands of people over the years never prepares anyone for the new earth-shaking events that erupt from time to time, killing more people. As tremblors go, this was a relatively modest earthquake, but it was so close to the surface that its effects were devastating.

 

The earthquake that struck West Java killed 268 people, with the prospect of many more being found not to have survived an ensuing landslide that destroyed many buildings. Many of the dead were children in classrooms when the quake's effect created chaos and turmoil and unspeakable destruction. Days after the quake, 151 children were still missing as rescue teams worked unflaggingly to try to free those trapped in the earthquake rubble, hoping to find survivors.

 

The most populous province was struck on Monday afternoon with significant damage from a shallow 5.6-magnitude quake. Significant damage resulted in the town of Cianjur, some 75 kilometres from Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. At least one village is known to have been buried under a landslide that followed the quake. 

 

It was reported that over a thousand people were injured, and 58,000 people displaced, while 22,000 house were damaged. Rescue efforts were  hampered by landslides and rough terrain. Strong earthquakes of magnitude 6 or 7 are common enough in Indonesia, mostly offshore where fautt lines run, but this quake of a lower magnitude resulted in deadly consequences simply because it struck land at fairly shallow depth.

 

Many of the dead were killed when the poorly constructed buildings they lived in collapsed. Now, after the fact, and with a long history of vulnerability to earthquakes, President Joko Widodo is calling for earthquake-proof housing in reconstruction. "My instruction is to prioritize evacuating victims that are still trapped under rubble", he announced.

 

In the town of Cianjur, survivors gathered in the hospital parking lot where the injured were treated in tents while others were hooked up to intravenous drips on the pavement, medical workers stitching up patients under torch light in the night. "Many bodies are lying in the hospital grounds, it's very crowded", observed one individual whose relative was being treated. In one area of the hospital parking lot people held up cardboard signs pleading for food and shelter in the absence of the delivery of emergency supplies.

 

One of the worst-hit areas was Cugenang, struck by a landslide the quake had triggered. Footage of people digging into the earth and the rubble of destroyed buildings by hand using hoes, sticks, crowbars and other tools were shown on television news channels. In some areas rescue efforts were complicated by outages in electricity. In the wake of 145 after-shocks, officials warned of more landslides in coming weeks.

 

A man carries an injured child to receive treatment at a hospital, after an earthquake hit in Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, November 21, 2022, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Yulius Satria Wijaya via REUTERS