Data From West Pasaman Indonesian Red Cross: 3 Earthquake Victims Died, Dozens Injured

The house of Kajai residents, Pasaman Barat collapsed due to the earthquake. (Antara/Altas Maulana)

SIMPANG EMPAT - The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) of West Pasarman Regency, West Sumatra recorded that three people died as a result of the earthquake that rocked the area on Friday based on provisional data collected in the field.

"As of Friday afternoon, three people have died, 10 seriously injured, 50 lightly injured," said West Pasaman PMI Headquarters Rida Warsa at Simpang Empat, quoted by Antara, Friday, February 25.

In addition to the fatalities, the PMI also noted that 100 houses were heavily damaged and 300 houses were slightly damaged.

Then there were 5.000 residents who took refuge in 35 points and public facilities such as mosques and offices were also damaged.

Currently, the West Pasarman PMI is focusing on evacuating victims by ambulance, conducting assessments, establishing health posts, and distributing tents.

Rida conveyed that the urgent needs needed at this time were refugee tents in the form of barracks and family tents, tarpaulins, health teams, public kitchens, ready-to-eat food, drinking water, blankets, mats, and family kits.

He admitted that the obstacles faced in handling the post-earthquake were cellular communication lines and cables being cut off to the disaster site and power lines being cut off.

Previously, West Pasaman Regent Hamsuardi had appealed to residents to remain vigilant because there was still the possibility of aftershocks.

"People are asked to remain calm and help each other to overcome this disaster," he said.

The Regent reminded that if there were aftershocks, people were asked to leave their homes to prevent the building from being crushed.

In the early stages, said the Regent, his party established a relief post in Nagari Kajai because the conditions were most affected by the earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 rocked the West Pasaman region on Friday at 08.39 a.m. Information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said the earthquake, which was located at 0.15 degrees north latitude, 99.98 degrees east longitude at a depth of 10 km, had no potential for a tsunami.