Casualties, damage due to earthquakes in Indonesia increased sharply

The number of people killed by the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck September 2 in the Indonesian island of Java reached 34, more than 4,000 houses were damaged.

Priyadi Kardono, an official of the national disaster mitigation agency, warned that the number of people killed and property losses will increase. Currently, many buildings, office buildings have collapsed or seriously damaged, it is very difficult to communicate with areas hit by earthquakes.

Houses destroyed by earthquakes(Photo: AP)

Hospitals quickly filled people with injuries after the earthquake struck the main island of Java, where most of the 235 million Indonesian population lived.

The terrifying earthquake shook many high-rise buildings in the capital, Jakarta, completely collapsing many houses in villages near the epicenter of West Java.

" The earthquake made everything in my house shake violently for almost a minute. I grabbed you and ran out. I saw everyone panicking, women screaming and children crying ", Heni Maryani, one The inhabitants of the town Sukabumi said.

Officials at the disaster mitigation agency said hundreds of houses collapsed or were severely destroyed in three districts in densely populated areas in West Java.

The worst report on casualties was broadcast from a village in the Cianjur district, where 12 families with about 30 people are still buried under rock, Antara news agency reported. About six bodies were found while the fate of others is unknown, a resident named Agus Sobandi said.

House collapsed after earthquake(Photo: Reuters)

During the recent earthquake, people could feel the shaking in more than half of the island area of ​​Java. In the capital city of Jakarta, nearly 200km from the epicenter, officials working at many high-rise buildings are scared to the streets. The tremor can also be felt in Bali and Surabaya - Indonesia's second largest city, two places more than 500km from the epicenter.

The Indonesian Ministry of Health said it has sent medical teams to affected areas in West Java. According to Antara, villagers are cleaning up rubble from collapsed buildings to save survivors and find bodies.

" Many houses completely collapsed ," Edi Sapuan said in the village of Margamukti. " Only wooden houses are standing. Many villagers were injured, covered with blood. We ran quickly out when the earthquake struck. Five minutes later, my house collapsed, " Edi told the news agency. Reuters.

The country of Indonesia with 17,000 islands is scattered along the Pacific fire belt and is one of the most frequently hit earthquakes in the world.