MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Indonesia earthquake toll reaches 310 dead

Earthquakes in Indonesia are a common occurrence because of the country's position on the Pacific Ring of Fire

Search and rescue teams in Indonesia have so far retrieved 310 bodies after Tuesday's 5.6-degree tremor that hit the Cianjur region in the country’s West Java province, it was reported Friday. The whereabouts of at least 24 people are still unknown and over 36,000 residents have been displaced, the authorities also said.

The new figures were released after several bodies were found under landslides, it was explained. There are already over 2,400 injured people still being treated in medical facilities, according to Indonesian officials.

“The problems are the instability of the ground, the thickness of the landslides aggravated by the continuous rains, and the fear of aftershocks,” said Henri Alfiandi, head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.

Despite the slim chances of finding any survivors, local authorities from the National Disaster Management Agency pledged to “continue to do whatever is necessary.”

According to the latest reports, the earthquake caused breakage and damage to more than 55,000 homes, while displacing 36,000 people. In addition to that, about 350 schools were destroyed.

Tuesday's tremors took place at a shallow depth of 10 km. Authorities estimate that the earthquake damaged at least 56,000 houses and displaced at least 36,000 residents.

Earthquakes in Indonesia are a common occurrence because of the country's position on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide. In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 2.2 people. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, followed by a tsunami, in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island left over 4,300 people dead or missing. In 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.