Over 160 Dead, Hundreds Injured Following Major Earthquake In Indonesia

INDONESIA-QUAKE

Photo: Getty Images

5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Java island Monday (November 21) afternoon. The epicenter of the shallow quake was about 47 miles from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. The earthquake left at least 162 people dead and over 700 more injured.

It damaged over 2,000 buildings across the island, leaving residents trapped underneath the rubble as rescuers rushed to locate them.

"The vehicles on the road stopped because the quake was very strong," shopkeeper Dewi Risma told the Associated Press. "I felt it shook three times, but the first one was the strongest one for around ten seconds. The roof of the shop next to the store I work in had collapsed, and people said two had been hit."

Officials said they expect the death toll to rise in the coming days.

"There are residents trapped in isolated places ... so we are under the assumption that the number of injured and deaths will rise with time," West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil told reporters, according to Reuters.

Nearly 14,000 people have been displaced as officials work to relocate them to 14 refugee camp sites across the island nation.

With hospitals overwhelmed or damaged by the quake, many of the injured people are getting treated in the streets or parking lots.

Officials have recorded at least 25 aftershocks within two hours of the initial quake. They also warned that forecasted rain and thunderstorms could hamper recovery efforts and create new problems, such as landslides. 


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