Government declares Nabire disaster area
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government declared the town of Nabire in Papua a disaster area after a second major earthquake shook the town on Saturday, and promised immediate humanitarian aid to those affected by the disaster.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said the government would soon deliver 50 tons of staple foods and other basic commodities to Nabire and discuss further relief programs.
"The government will not keep its hands off. Let's work together to help the people who are suffering from this disaster," Kalla said during a visit to Nabire on Saturday, some 600 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Jayapura.
Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah and Governor JP Salossa accompanied Kalla to the town, Antara reported. The ministers presented the local government with over Rp 1.5 billion (US$176,470) in donations for the quake victims.
The death toll from the powerful quake that hit on Friday has risen to at least 27, and that number could go up as relief efforts were hampered by a second quake on Saturday that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. At least 150 people were injured in Friday's quake, some seriously.
Global humanitarian aid is expected to begin arriving in the remote town after United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed condolences for the victims and promised assistance.
Residents have been living in tents following the huge tremor on Friday, which destroyed hundreds of houses and buildings, including schools, churches, mosques and government offices. Most of those who died were killed inside collapsed buildings.
In his message, Annan called on the international community to assist the Indonesian government in providing relief aid to the victims.
Annan said the UN, through its representative office in Jakarta, had taken a number of steps to assist the Indonesian government.
"The UN is ready to lend its support (to the Indonesian government) and prepared to mobilize international aid," he said.
Nabire and many parts of Papua are prone to earthquakes. In 1996, at least 96 people died in a major quake in Manokwari and Biak.
As of Saturday, rescue workers were still searching for victims beneath the rubble of buildings. Meanwhile, the Nabire general hospital, which was damaged in the quake, reported a shortage of medical supplies and said it could not treat any more patients.
At least 80 people injured in the earthquake are being treated at the hospital and health centers across the town.
Some of the most severely injured people were flown to Biak before being transported to the Surabaya general hospital in East Java for treatment, AFP reported.
The powerful quake also damaged roads and bridges that connect Nabire to other towns in the province. Adding to the misery, the electricity network was destroyed by the quake, causing a power blackout.
State-run gas and oil firm PT Pertamina announced on Saturday a shortage of kerosene and gasoline in the area due to leaks to its pipeline as a result of the jolt.
Telecommunications facilities in Nabire are continuing to operate as normal, a state telecommunications company spokesman said.
"We are maintaining the quality and continuity of the facilities to prevent the district from becoming completely isolated," Muhammad, an executive with PT Telkom, told Antara on Saturday.