Indonesia: Rising death toll after devastating earthquake

Rescuers are working non-stop after the earthquake in Indonesia. The epicenter was in the west of the main island of Java, near the city of Cianjur, south of the capital Jakarta. The number of dead recovered from the rubble so far is over 260. More than 300 people have been injured and many people are still missing.

According to the Indonesian Geophysics and Meteorology Agency, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. The tremors were also felt in the capital Jakarta, 75 kilometers (46 miles) to the north. Numerous aftershocks and a massive landslide destroyed further buildings and access roads in the affected region.

About two and a half million people live in the affected mountain region. Outside the overcrowded hospitals, hundreds of seriously injured patients are waiting for further treatment. "We expect the number of injured and dead to continue to rise over time," says Ridwan Kamil, governor of West Java province.

Around 13,000 evacuated people are seeking refuge in shelters and tents. Thousands of people are still homeless, and a breakdown in power and cellular networks is also hampering rescue and relief efforts. This family found shelter at night in an improvised tent.

Rescuing those trapped is a matter of utmost urgency for all responders. "Our team is also trying to reach remote areas," says Henri Alfiandi, head of the National Agency for Search and Rescue. "For us, all victims are a priority, our goal is to find them and save lives by getting them evacuated as soon as possible and get medical help."

With spades, pry bars, drills and their bare hands, aid workers and rescue teams are digging through the masses of earth to clear access roads to isolated villages and reach buried buildings. The landslide is said to have buried an entire cafe. It is uncertain whether visitors were able to escape the disaster.

People in the affected region rescue their belongings from the collapsed houses. Here, a man evacuates a cat from what remains of his home. According to the disaster management agency BNPB, more than 2200 houses were destroyed in the quake. Many families are left with absolutely nothing.

Earthquakes occur regularly in Indonesia. In the region, different earth plates meet in the earth's crust and form the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically highly active zone with numerous volcanoes. At the same time, hardly any buildings are built to be earthquake-proof.