Indonesia to hand out compensation to earthquake victims
Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on November 22 that the government will hand out compensation to victims and their families after an earthquake struck the country’s most populous province, killing 162.
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced on November 22 that thegovernment will hand out compensation to victims and their families after anearthquake struck the country’s most populous province, killing 162.
The President visited the epicentre of the quake, the town of Cianjurin West Java province, and ordered rescue teams to prioritise saving peopletrapped under rubble and to urgently access areas blocked off by landslides.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported onNovember 22 that the death toll from the earthquake near Cianjur regency, WestJava has risen to 103, with 25 people still missing.
Local disaster mitigation agencies are still gathering data on the victims, the extent of the damage and theurgent needs of those affected.
The epicentre of the shallow earthquake waslocated near Cianjur. Falling buildings and landslides triggered by the seismicevent were responsible for most of the deaths in the area. The main quake hasbeen followed by at least 118 smaller aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from1.5 to 4.2. Search and rescue operations have been hampered by severed roadlinks and lost power in parts of the largely rural, mountainous region.
Theregency administration has declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days./.
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Victims in the quake (Photo: VNA) 
