Government inaction as quake victims suffer

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of people in the remote Papuan district of Ransiki, living in fear after last Thursday's earthquake, are running out of food and water and are still waiting for government help.

Disaster coordinator First Insp. Bachtiar said the residents had asked the Manokwari regency administration to evacuate them to safety.

Bachtiar said the people were afraid another quake would cause their homes to be swallowed by a five-kilometer-long crack caused by the first quake.

The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, jolted Manokwari last week, leaving at least five people dead, more than 170 injured and more than 120 buildings damaged. Rensiki, 90 kilometers south of Manokwari, was the worst hit district.

Among the casualties were a policeman who died after he was hit by falling debris from a mosque and two infants who were killed after their homes collapsed,

Many areas were isolated after the quake caused landslides which blocked the road, while 37-kilometers of road between the districts of Ransiki and Anggi slumped.

"A series of smaller aftershocks followed the powerful quake, forcing thousands of residents to stay outdoors," Bachtiar said as quoted by Antara.

Almost all of the houses in Ransiki were inhabitable. Residents and people from the neighboring districts of Oransbari and Anggi have been living in makeshift shelters built under trees.

"They are waiting for government assistance in the form of food, medicine and tents," Bachtiar said.

He suggested the regency administration deploy a team of scientists to study the crack and its impact on the land.

Water is hard to find as some wells were holed and drained. Electricity is still cut off and schools and offices have been closed indefinitely.

Ransiki district secretary Insyur said that people were in dire need of food, medicine and tents. He said that any assistance should be delivered by air because land transportation was cut off.

Insyur concurred saying much needed supplies needed to be airdropped.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics agency predicted the quakes would stop in the near future.

Manokwari is susceptible to earthquake, which has always shaken the regency every year.

The Indonesian archipelago is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions, sitting on the so-called "Pacific Rim of Fire" infamous for its volcanic and seismic activity. It regularly experiences quakes of more than 5.0 on the Richter scale.