Cianjur Earthquake Update: 268 People Died, 151 People Missing

JAKARTA - Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) states that 268 people died as a result of the earthquake in Cianjur, West Java. 151 people are still missing.

“Now there are 268 people who have died. Of the 268 who have been identified, 122 bodies have been identified. Then there are still missing victims and a continuous search for 151 people is still being carried out", said BNPB Head, Suharyanto, at a press conference quoted from the BNPB Indonesia Youtube channel, Tuesday, November 22.

The Cianjur earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale struck the southwest region of Cianjur Regency, West Java, on Monday, November 21, at 13.21 WIB. The earthquake occurred at coordinates 6.84 South Latitude and 107.05 East Longitude, about 10 kilometers southwest of Cianjur Regency with a depth of 10 kilometers.

The Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) predicts that an earthquake that occurs in Cianjur Regency, West Java, has the potential to repeat itself every 20 years based on an analysis.

Head of BMKG, Dwikorita Karnawati, said that the earthquake in Cianjur had previously occurred in 2000, and before that, it had happened in 1982. For this reason, houses that were reconstructed later had to be earthquake-resistant.

"So between 18-22 years, the average is 20 years, so if a building collapses in the red zone, it is necessary to map the unsafe zone", said Dwikorita at the Cianjur Hall, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Tuesday, November 22.

If possible, according to her, residents affected by the earthquake need to be relocated from unsafe zones to anticipate the potential for earthquakes every 20 years.

In addition, she also encourages disaster officials to anticipate damaged settlements located on hillsides or riverbanks. According to her, the damaged house material has the potential to be washed away by the river.

"We are worried that the next disaster will be a flash flood, so usually after the material is hit by an earthquake, it piles up in the river flow, and the rainy season peaks in December", said Dwikorita.