The death toll from the earthquake that struck Indonesia’s main island of Java this week has risen to 321 as rescuers found more bodies.
Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Management Agency, said rescuers found three more bodies on Sunday after eight were found on Saturday.
They would resume their search on Monday, focusing on areas where the missing are believed to have been buried.
Hopes of finding more survivors on Java are fading
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Thousands of homes damaged and people displaced
The 5.6-magnitude quake struck the highly populated Cianjur region of West Java province on Monday.
It damaged more than 62,000 houses and displaced more than 73,000 residents.
“Aid workers are gradually reaching affected residents in remote villages with logistics and food supplies and erecting tents for them,” Suharyanto said.
Children among the victims of Indonesia quake
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While the magnitude of the earthquake itself would typically be expected to cause light damage, experts say proximity to fault lines, the shallowness of the quake, and inadequate infrastructure that cannot withstand earthquakes all contributed to extensive damage.
Experts monitoring seismic activity said that 284 aftershocks with gradually lessening intensity have occurred since the main quake struck on Monday.
lo/fb (AFP, dpa)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/indonesia-earthquake-321-confirmed-dead-as-search-continues/a-63907602?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf