Durian. Death toll from Indonesia’s Cianjur earthquake rose to 268 as of Tuesday afternoon, while 151 others are reportedly missing, according to Head of Indonesia’s National Disaster and Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lt. Col. Suharyanto.
During a press briefing, held at Cianjur regent office, Suharyanto explained that a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that hit Cianjur and surroundings on Monday afternoon has forced over 58 thousand people to leave their houses.
“As of this afternoon, the death toll is 268,” Suharyanto said, adding that 122 bodies have been identified.
Related with 151 missing persons, the official said it is likely that they are among unidentified bodies, however, further investigations are ongoing and rescue efforts continued,
Thousands of houses and dozen buildings have been damaged due to the natural disaster that had triggered landslides in several locations, cut off roads that connect Cianjur and neighbouring cities.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday visited the disaster prone area in Cianjur to directly observe the emergency response efforts conducted on the ground.
