JAKARTA: A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Cianjur district, West Java province on Monday, killing at least 46 people and injuring 700 others, officials said.
Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said the damage was spread over a wide area, with the worst-hit area being Limbangan Sari village.
“Many were injured when collapsing buildings hit them,” he said in a briefing, broadcast by a local television station.
BNPB will also send a helicopter to facilitate disaster emergencies, evacuation and distribution of logistics, he said.
Officials were still gathering more information, BNPB’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement, adding that 343 houses were damaged.
Many infrastructures including schools, hospitals and government offices were wrecked.
Residents of Jakarta and Bekasi areas felt the earthquake which occurred 10 km southwest on land in Cianjur at a depth of 10 km at 1.21 pm local time.
The tremors lasted for nearly 15 seconds in Cianjur and were felt for less than seven seconds in Bandung, Bogor, Sukabumi.
Abdul Muhari said 32 sub-districts in Cianjur have the potential for moderate to high earthquake hazards based on its multi-hazard early warning system, inaRISK.
