Death toll in Indonesia earthquake rises to 162, hundreds injured, says report
Cianjur (Indonesia), Nov 21: A strong, shallow earthquake toppled buildings and walls on Indonesia's densely populated main island on Monday, killing at least 162 people and injuring hundreds of others as residents fled into the street, some covered in blood and debris.
Officials were gathering information on the toll of those injured and killed by the quake in the remote area.
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said the number of confirmed dead had risen to 162.
"The majority of those who died were children," he said.
Many were public school students who had finished their regular classes for the day and were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools, he said.
Cianjur is known for having a large number of Islamic boarding schools and mosques.
"So many incidents occurred at several Islamic schools," Kamil said.
He said more than 13,000 people whose homes had been heavily damaged were being taken to evacuation centres.
Emergency workers treated the injured on stretchers and blankets outside hospitals, on terraces and in parking lots in the Cianjur region, about three hours drive from the capital, Java.
The injured, including children, were given oxygen masks and IV lines and were being resuscitated.
"I fainted. It was very strong," said Hasan, a construction worker who, like many Indonesians, uses one name.
"I saw my friends running to escape from the building. But it was too late to get out and I was hit by the wall."
Residents, some crying and holding children, fled damaged homes after the magnitude 5.6 quake shook the region in West Java province in the late afternoon, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
It also caused panic in the greater Jakarta area, where high-rises swayed and some people evacuated.
Rescue teams and civilians in Cianjur were looking for people buried in collapsed brick homes. In many homes, chunks of concrete and roof tiles fell inside bedrooms.
Shopkeeper Dewi Risma was working with customers when the quake hit, and she ran for the exit.
"The vehicles on the road stopped because the quake was very strong," she said.
"I felt it shook three times, but the first one was the strongest one for around 10 seconds. The roof of the shop next to the store I work in had collapsed, and people said two had been hit."
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that the death toll reached 62 and hundreds were injured. More than 5,000 people are being evacuated.
Twenty-five people were still stuck buried in the debris in Cijedil village, said agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.
Several landslides closed roads around the Cianjur district.
Among the dozens of buildings that were damaged was an Islamic boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities, the agency said. Power outages were reported.
Ridwan Kamil, West Java governor, said that the local government, national police and Indonesian military were still gathering information.
"Because Cianjur is characterised by many places that are very remote, so we need that data to determine the situation," Kamil said.
Most of the victims and survivors were taken to the government hospital in Cianjur.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency recorded at least 25 aftershocks.
"The quake felt so strong. My colleagues and I decided to get out of our office on the ninth floor using the emergency stairs," said Vidi Primadhania, a worked in the capital, where many residents ran into the streets and others hid under desks.
The country of more than 270 million people is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province.
In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.
A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.
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Messi event chaos: Court extends police custody of chief organiser till Jan 9
Kolkata (PTI): A court in West Bengal on Sunday extended till January 9 the police custody of Satadru Dutta, the chief organiser of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi's event that dissolved into disorder earlier this month.
After the completion of his initial police custody, Dutta was produced before the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Court, where public prosecutors levelled multiple charges against him.
Dutta, who was arrested on December 13 over alleged mismanagement in the Salt Lake stadium event on that day, was also accused of entering into contracts with food and beverage suppliers without prior government approval and being involved in alleged corruption amounting to Rs 23 crore.
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The prosecution emphasised that Dutta wields significant influence, and for this reason, he should not be granted bail.
"The investigation requires further probe into the financial transactions and pre-planned arrangements for the event. His bail plea was rejected, and he (Dutta) was sent to police custody till January 9," a senior police officer told reporters outside the court.
Dutta was seen entering the courtroom holding a copy of the Gita.
His bail plea, moved by his counsel, was opposed by the prosecution, which described the incident as pre-planned and alleged that Dutta was the main person behind the alleged mismanagement.
The police informed the court that a contract for supplying food and beverages at the stadium had been finalised even before discussions were held with the administration for arrangements during Messi's programme.
According to the police, the official food and beverage contract value stood at Rs 40 lakh while Dutta allegedly received Rs 60 lakh in cash.
It was also stated that tickets worth around Rs 19 crore were sold for the event, with over 34,000 tickets purchased.
The police told the court that Messi left the field within 20 minutes of the programme, alleging that this too was part of a pre-planned sequence.
The police also pointed out that while professional sports event management companies were engaged for Messi events in three other cities, no such company was appointed for the Kolkata programme, a decision that has now come under scrutiny.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium on December 13 after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated.
Angry fans, many of whom had paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000 — and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market — ran riot at the venue after failing to get even a glimpse of their favourite superstar from Argentina.
