The death toll from the earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java rises quickly on Monday. According to the latest figures from the authorities, there are at least 162 victims. The quake had a magnitude of 5.6 and was felt in the capital Jakarta, among other places.
The epicenter was in the city of Cianjur in West Java, about 75 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, the Indonesian Meteorology Agency (BMKG) reported. The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. There was no risk of a tsunami.
“Hundreds, maybe thousands of buildings have been damaged,” said a spokesman for the local government in Cianjur. These include a school, a hospital, homes and shops. The quake also caused power outages. The rescue work is hampered because roads have become inaccessible due to landslides.
As far as is known, there have been no casualties in Jakarta. There, buildings began to shake and people were evacuated from offices, among other places. No major damage has been reported in the capital either.
Indonesia is part of the so-called Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean with more than a hundred active volcanoes and many earthquakes. The Indonesian island of Sulawesi was hit by a magnitude 6.2 quake in January 2021. More than a hundred people were killed.
