Indonesian Gov't To Relocate Nationals Affected By Earthquake In Cianjur - Disaster Agency

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2022) The Indonesian government is planning to restore hundreds of houses at a safer site for people affected in an earthquake that hit the region of Cianjur in West Java on November 21, Head of the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) Lt. Gen. Suharyanto said.

"The construction of new houses will begin next week on a two-hectare site," Suharyanto was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

Suharyanto also said that "data on Sunday showed that 321 people have died. We have found another three victims," adding that 11 people were still missing, the news agency reported.

Last week, a massive 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Cianjur. Media reported that the disaster claimed the lives of 271 people. This number has grown as rescuers found the bodies of those missing.

The NDMA said that over 62,000 houses were destroyed or heavily damaged and more than 73,000 people were evacuated to at least 325 shelters.

Indonesia is located in a seismically active zone and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes. Every year, seismologists register up to 7,000 earthquakes with a magnitude above 4.0.