4.9-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia leaves 1 dead, 82 injured

JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — A shallow earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s West Java province on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least 82 others, officials reported.
According to Indonesia’s meteorology, climatology, and geophysics agency, the earthquake struck at 9:41 a.m. local time (0241 GMT), with the epicenter located 24 km southeast of Bandung regency and at a depth of 10 km.
An elementary school student with asthma was rushed outside his school building during the tremors. He collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he died, said Erwin Nurdiansyah, a press officer for Bandung regency’s disaster agency.
Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency, told Xinhua that the hardest-hit area was Bandung regency, followed by Garut regency. In Bandung alone, 81 people were injured, and all victims from both regions were transported to hospitals and health clinics for treatment.
“The assessments are ongoing, but we estimate that around 700 houses have suffered damage, from minor to serious levels,” Muhari said, adding that nearly 100 health, educational, religious, and public facilities, including markets, were also damaged.
He added that the disaster forced 450 people to seek shelter in government buildings and other facilities. Emergency tents have been set up, and aid such as medicines, mattresses, blankets, tents, and baby supplies have been distributed, though more are needed. ■