Indonesia quake toll tops 5,000, aid trickles in
INDONESIA: Tens of thousands of homeless survivors of an earthquake
that killed more than 5,000 people in Indonesia spent the night camped
out in the rain as aid from across the world arrived on Monday. Many
survivors who were injured or whose homes were destroyed by the quake
spent a rainy Sunday night in the open on the grounds of hospitals and
mosques or in makeshift shelters beside the rubble of their houses.
Flows of foreign and domestic aid were increasing on Monday as the
official death toll from the 6.3 magnitude quake reached 5,115. The
tremor early on Saturday was centred just off the Indian Ocean coast
near Yogyakarta, the former Javanese royal capital.
Outside Yogyakarta's main hospital, the number of injured being
treated was much reduced from Sunday although the corridors were still
packed with patients.
Government figures put the number of injured at 2,155, but the United
Nations children's fund (UNICEF) said 20,000 had been injured and more
than 100,000 made homeless. Government and private aid agencies agree
shelter in the form of tents is a top aid priority, along with clean
water supplies.
An estimated 35,000 homes and buildings in and around Yogyakarta were
reduced to rubble by the quake, and by Monday morning chances were slim
that many people were still alive under the debris.
The international community has rallied to help, offering medical
relief teams, disaster experts and emergency supplies. The government
declared a three-month emergency and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
moved his office to Yogyakarta. After a cabinet meeting late on Sunday,
Vice President Jusuf Kalla put relief and rebuilding costs at around 1
trillion rupiah ($107 million) and said the government aimed to complete
"reconstruction and rehabilitation" within a year.
Kalla said the quake had destroyed power facilities worth 200 billion
rupiah and deprived tens of thousands of electricity.
Medical supplies and body bags arrived at the airport of Yogyakarta,
about 25 km (16 miles) from the coast. The airport was closed to
commercial traffic.
A vulcanologist said the quake had heightened activity at nearby
Mount Merapi, a volcano that experts believe may be about to erupt.
Merapi has been rumbling for weeks and sporadically emitting hot lava
and highly toxic hot gas.
Throughout the disaster-struck region, authorities struggled to
deliver aid. "The problem now is that we are still short of tents, many
people are still living on the streets or open areas," Suseno, a field
officer of the Yogyakarta disaster task force, said.
Social Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah urged understanding. "I have
already told you that the area destroyed by the quake is very large ...
We need time.
Yogyakarta, Monday, Reuters. |