An earthquake rattled Indonesia’s main island of Java, damaging dozens of buildings and killing at least 17 people with fears the casualty figures could drastically rise.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Monday was centred in the Cianjur region in West Java province at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). It sent residents in the capital, Jakarta, running to the streets for safety.
The earthquake killed at least 17 people and injured many others, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said. Dozens of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities.
Herman Suherman, a government official from Cianjur, told news channel Metro TV as many as 20 people were killed and 300 more injured.
“This is from one hospital, there are four hospitals in Cianjur,” he said, adding it was possible the death and injury toll could rise.
Adam – spokesman for the local administration in Cianjur town, 75km (35 miles) southeast of Jakarta – told the AFP news agency dozens of people were dead.
“There have been dozens of people killed. Hundreds, even maybe thousands of houses
are damaged. So far 44 people have died,” said Adam, who like many Indonesians uses one name.
Footage from Metro TV showed some buildings in Cianjur reduced almost entirely to rubble as worried residents huddled outside.
