Government declares Nabire disaster area<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government declared the town of Nabire in Papua a disaster
\narea after a second major earthquake shook the town on Saturday,
\nand promised immediate humanitarian aid to those affected by the
\ndisaster.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said
\nthe government would soon deliver 50 tons of staple foods and
\nother basic commodities to Nabire and discuss further relief
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
\"The government will not keep its hands off. Let's work
\ntogether to help the people who are suffering from this
\ndisaster,\" Kalla said during a visit to Nabire on Saturday, some
\n600 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Jayapura.<\/p>\n
Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah and Governor JP
\nSalossa accompanied Kalla to the town, Antara reported. The
\nministers presented the local government with over Rp 1.5 billion
\n(US$176,470) in donations for the quake victims.<\/p>\n
The death toll from the powerful quake that hit on Friday has
\nrisen to at least 27, and that number could go up as relief
\nefforts were hampered by a second quake on Saturday that measured
\n7.1 on the Richter scale. At least 150 people were injured in
\nFriday's quake, some seriously.<\/p>\n
Global humanitarian aid is expected to begin arriving in the
\nremote town after United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
\nexpressed condolences for the victims and promised assistance.<\/p>\n
Residents have been living in tents following the huge tremor
\non Friday, which destroyed hundreds of houses and buildings,
\nincluding schools, churches, mosques and government offices. Most
\nof those who died were killed inside collapsed buildings.<\/p>\n
In his message, Annan called on the international community to
\nassist the Indonesian government in providing relief aid to the
\nvictims.<\/p>\n
Annan said the UN, through its representative office in
\nJakarta, had taken a number of steps to assist the Indonesian
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"The UN is ready to lend its support (to the Indonesian
\ngovernment) and prepared to mobilize international aid,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nabire and many parts of Papua are prone to earthquakes. In
\n1996, at least 96 people died in a major quake in Manokwari and
\nBiak.<\/p>\n
As of Saturday, rescue workers were still searching for
\nvictims beneath the rubble of buildings. Meanwhile, the Nabire
\ngeneral hospital, which was damaged in the quake, reported a
\nshortage of medical supplies and said it could not treat any more
\npatients.<\/p>\n
At least 80 people injured in the earthquake are being treated
\nat the hospital and health centers across the town.<\/p>\n
Some of the most severely injured people were flown to Biak
\nbefore being transported to the Surabaya general hospital in East
\nJava for treatment, AFP reported.<\/p>\n
The powerful quake also damaged roads and bridges that connect
\nNabire to other towns in the province. Adding to the misery, the
\nelectricity network was destroyed by the quake, causing a power
\nblackout.<\/p>\n
State-run gas and oil firm PT Pertamina announced on Saturday
\na shortage of kerosene and gasoline in the area due to leaks to
\nits pipeline as a result of the jolt.<\/p>\n
Telecommunications facilities in Nabire are continuing to
\noperate as normal, a state telecommunications company spokesman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We are maintaining the quality and continuity of the
\nfacilities to prevent the district from becoming completely
\nisolated,\" Muhammad, an executive with PT Telkom, told Antara on
\nSaturday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-declares-nabire-disaster-area-1447893297",
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