Government inaction as quake victims suffer

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.