162 killed as quake jolts Indonesia’s Java

Djakarta, Nov 21

At least 162 people were killed and hundreds more injured as a 5.6 intensity earthquake shook Indonesia's main island of Java on Monday, reports said.

The quake struck Cianjur town in west Java, at a depth of 10 km, according to US Geological Survey data.

The area where the quake struck is densely-populated and prone to landslides, with the makeshift houses reduced to rubble in many areas, the BBC reported.

Rescuers were working into the night to try to save others thought to still be trapped under collapsed buildings.

Regional Governor Ridwan Kamil said 162 people were killed, over 700 injured, and more than 13,000 people displaced by the disaster, the BBC reported.

He apprehended that the numbers of injuries and fatalities were likely to increase because there were "a lot of people" still trapped at the scene.

Earthquakes are common in Indonesia, which sits on the "ring of fire" area of tectonic activity in the Pacific, with a 2018 quake in Sulawesi leaving over 2,000 dead.

--IANS