40 suffering from diarrhea after Nabire earthquake

The Jakarta Post, Agencies

At least 40 Nabire residents have been struck down with diarrhea since a powerful earthquake rocked the city last Friday, while death toll in the disaster stood at 27 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Dozens of people in Kalibobo district suffering from diarrhea have been brought to Nabire Hospital, Antara reported.

No fatalities were reported from the diarrhea outbreak that resulted from poor sanitation following the major earthquake, which measured 6.4 on the Richter scale.

Meanwhile, the Nabire Disaster Task Force said that the number of fatalities rose to 27 on Tuesday, but the number of people dead could be much higher as it was feared many bodies were still buried under collapsed buildings.

Besides killing 27 people, the earthquake has left hundreds of people injured and hundreds of buildings in ruins.

Separately, much-needed food aid, medicines and tents finally began arriving in Nabire on Tuesday to the relief and joy of local residents. The aid, sent by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), consisted of 100 tents, 100 mosquito nets, blood supplies and medicines.

The Papua provincial administration has donated 100 tons of rice.

The arrival of aid had been held up as the runway of the only airport in the area was damaged by the earthquake.

In an effort to get aid to the city, Paniai Regent A.P. Youw had sent a letter to United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan to ask him to send aid to the quake victims.

The United Nations had earlier sent medicines and other forms of aid to Nabire residents following an earthquake in the city in February this year. The earthquake in February, which measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, killed at least 37 people and left hundreds of residents injured.

Aftershocks continued to rattle the city on Tuesday, sparking panic among residents.

Meteorology experts have warned that the aftershocks could continue for up to two weeks after the main earthquake on Friday, according to DPA.