Earthquake victims still scared<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Minor aftershocks hit the Papuan town of Nabire on Monday,
\ncausing people who have been camping outside their homes over the
\nlast two days to stay in their tents.<\/p>\n
"Today there were three or four minor aftershocks. People are
\nstill afraid to return to their homes," Tornado Edmawan, a
\ndistrict judge who along with other residents, has moved to a
\ntent outside his house, said.<\/p>\n
Despite continuing fear, electricity, air and land
\ntransportation and other public facilities have returned to
\nnormal after being paralyzed by the main earthquake measuring 6.9
\non Richter scale on Friday. The death toll in the quake that hit
\nthe town located some 600 kilometers west of the provincial
\ncapital of Jayapura has reached 30.<\/p>\n
The health ministry said 253 people were injured, 85 of them
\nseriously. More than 250 homes were badly damaged and 31 others
\nwere razed by fire, not including government offices and other
\nbuildings. The damage has been estimated at Rp 360 billion ($42.9
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
Rescue workers said they were seeking access to isolated
\nvillages, fearing there may be more casualties.<\/p>\n
"There are several villages that have not been checked. Those
\nvillages can only be accessed by helicopter or small aircraft,"
\nsaid Frans Ayomi, head of the search and rescue office on Biak
\nisland.<\/p>\n
"Those villages are located near the epicenter of the quake
\nand I'm worried that the devastation is worse there," Ayomi told
\nAFP.<\/p>\n
He said rescuers would ask the provincial government to
\nprovide a helicopter to allow them to visit the villages, about
\n70 kilometers from the main town.<\/p>\n
One of the injured victims, Williem Fafied was transported to
\nEast Java's capital Surabaya to receive further treatment at Dr.
\nSoetomo General Hospital.<\/p>\n
Williem, who suffered injuries to his spine while trying to
\nsave his two-year-old daughter Prili during the disaster, will be
\noperated on as Nabire hospital which also was partly damaged by
\nthe quake, lacked medical equipment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the United States government has extended US$50,000
\nin emergency relief assistance through the U.S. Agency for
\nInternational Development (USAID), the US government said in a
\nstatement on Monday.<\/p>\n
The contribution consists of items for personal hygiene,
\nplastic sheets, jerrycans, cooking utensils, tents and
\ntarpaulins, as well as the provision of chartered air
\ntransportation to deliver supplies to remote areas, it said.<\/p>\n
The assistance, it said, will be made through the
\nInternational Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and implemented
\nby the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).<\/p>\n
PMI said on Monday it had been distributing humanitarian
\nassistance to earthquake victims since Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Japanese government has earlier donated $124,000 in the
\nform of generators, tents and blankets to the quake victims.<\/p>\n
In the East Java town of Gresik, Navy chief Adm. Bernard Kent
\nSondakh said the Navy would dispatch personnel and humanitarian
\naid to Nabire. They will be transported by two airplanes.<\/p>\n
A Navy ship has arrived in the remote town, carrying medicine,
\nwhile more vessels will follow.<\/p>\n
"If necessary one of our ships will serve as a floating
\nhospital," Bernard said on the sidelines of the inauguration of a
\nhousing complex for Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel by
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/earthquake-victims-still-scared-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}