Death toll in Indonesia earthquake reaches 387
Jakarta, Aug 11 : Indonesian authorities on Saturday raised the death toll in Lombok island earthquake to 387, while the number of injured and displaced went up to 13,688 and 387,067, respectively.
The 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the island on last Sunday and was followed by 451 aftershocks, including strong ones with 5.9 magnitude earlier this week.
National Agency for Disaster Management spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho warned in a statement that the toll could further increase because of the ongoing search for victims buried under rubble and landslides after the temblor, Efe news reported.
The northern region of Lombok, where the epicentre was located, was the worst affected with 334 deaths. It was followed by West Lombok with 30, East Lombok with 10, Mataram with 9, Central Lombok with 2, and Denpasar, capital of the neighbouring island of Bali, with 2.
A total of 67,875 houses, 468 schools, six bridges, 50 oratories, 20 offices, 15 mosques and 13 health centres were demolished or damaged.
Sutopo said that conditions on the ground were difficult as there were still many victims that had not been evacuated or refugees who had not received adequate attention, coupled with continued aftershocks.
Regional authorities extended the emergency response period till August 25 given the conditions, which will help in providing assistance to victims, according to the disaster agency.
Hundreds of non-profits and community organizations were participating in the relief process in Lombok.
Lombok, located next to the Flores plate, had already suffered the impact of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on July 29 which left 16 dead, 355 injured and 1,500 buildings damaged.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of great seismic and volcanic activity in which some 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year.
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Several Indians inducted into Russian Army remain missing: Report
New Delhi: In a concerning development, several Indians who were illegally enlisted in the Russian Army and forcibly sent to the war zone on the Russia-Ukraine border are reportedly still missing.
According to a report published by The Hindu on Sunday, citing communication from the Ministry of External Affairs and statements from the families of two missing men, Mohammad Amin Sheikh, a 65-year-old resident of Kupwara in Tangdhar, Jammu and Kashmir, said that his 27-year-old son, Zahoor Sheikh, last contacted the family on December 31, 2023.
Amin Sheikh mentioned that his son said that he was going for training and would not be available for the next three months on phone. “But when we started getting news about the deaths of Indians in Russia in January, we got worried and called on his number. We could not reach him. We are yet to hear from him,” Sheikh, a retired Inspector from the Public Health Department in Jammu and Kashmir, was quoted as saying by the publication.
Last week, Mohammad Amin Sheikh and his two other sons travelled to New Delhi to seek answers from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Russian Embassy after the Indian Embassy in Moscow failed to give them information about Zahoor Sheikh.
“We submitted a petition at the Russian Embassy,” 31-year-old Aijaz Amin, Zahoor Sheikh’s elder brother, told The Hindu. “They said they are looking into the matter. The MEA officials said that at least 15 Indians are still missing and though the Russian government is cooperative, their commanders on the ground are not responsive,” he added.
Zahoor had travelled to Russia after he came across a YouTube video promising the job of a security helper in Russia. Instead, he was reportedly deceived into joining the Russian Army.
Similarly, 30-year-old Mandeep, from Jalandhar in Punjab, has been missing since March. His brother, Jagdeep Kumar, also arrived in Delhi, looking for answers from the government about his sibling's whereabouts.
“We last spoke on March 3. He initially went to Armenia and was supposed to go to Italy from there in search of work. Instead, he was tricked by an agent to go to Russia and was forced to join the Russian Army. He was sent to the war zone after a few days of training,” Kumar told The Hindu.
Kumar said he met officials from the External Affairs Ministry in the capital city, who told him that at least 25 Indians were reported missing in Russia.
