The Indonesian national agency responsible for responding to disasters announced on Friday (November 25th) that the death toll from the earthquake that struck the island of Java on Monday had risen to 310.
Twenty-four people remain missing after the 5.6-magnitude earthquake caused landslides and destroyed buildings in West Java, said agency chief Suharyanto, who like many Indonesians has only one name. “These 24 people have been identified”he said at a press conference.
More than 62,000 people evacuated
According to Henri Alfiandi, the head of the national emergency services, the search will continue until Monday, or even beyond if all the bodies are not found by then. “The problems are ground instability, thick landslides made worse by continuous rains and fears of aftershocks”, he told the Kompas television channel. Many of the victims are children, some of whom were in class.
More than 2,000 people were injured, some 56,000 homes were damaged and more than 62,000 people were forced to evacuate, Suharyanto said.
Located on the Pacific “ring of fire” where tectonic plates meet, Indonesia is regularly confronted with earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.