Many of those killed and injured in a devastating earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java were youngsters, rescuers say, as the death toll reaches 268.
14-year-old Aprizal Mulyadi was in school when the earthquake struck, and he reported being trapped after “the room fell and my legs were buried beneath the rubble.”
According to him, he was rescued by his friend Zulfikar, who ultimately perished after becoming trapped himself.
More than 1,000 individuals were injured, according to officials.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced on Tuesday that 151 persons remained unaccounted for.
It was also reported that 22,000 homes had been damaged and more than 58,000 people had sought refuge in various sites throughout the region.
On Monday, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake slammed a hilly region, triggering landslides that buried entire villages near the city of Cianjur in West Java.
When walls and roofs collapsed, victims were crushed or imprisoned. “Everything transpired so quickly,” Aprizal told the AFP news agency.
A National Search and Rescue Agency spokesman also revealed that many of the deceased were young adults.
“The majority of the victims are children because they were still in school at 1 p.m.,” stated Henri Alfiandi.
The earthquake, which occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was followed by dozens of aftershocks that caused more damage as poorly constructed homes fell.
In the village of Cibereum, a family was attempting to collect the body of their eldest son, a 28-year-old male who had been crushed when the home’s upper levels collapsed.
Rescuers battled to sort through the debris.
“We must excavate through the victim’s second-floor crushing site’s concrete. But we’ve seen the corpse, “Sergeant Payakun informed a military officer.
On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo visited the distant disaster zone, where he was photographed with first responders.
“My orders are to prioritize evacuating victims still buried under debris,” he said.
Hundreds of police officers and other rescuers are participating in the rescue operation. Mr. Jokowi promised to compensate affected communities.
Indonesia, situated in the Pacific “ring of fire” zone of tectonic activity, is prone to earthquakes.
More than 2,000 people were murdered in a 2018 earthquake on the island of Sulawesi. The country has a history of devasting tremors and tsunamis.
