Nabire death toll hits 32

Nabire death toll hits 32

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post/Jayapura

The death toll of earthquake victims in Nabire, Papua, rose to 32
on Sunday, as aftershocks continued and thousands of survivors
fled the devastated town.

Families of 21 of the deceased have already received Rp 4
million (some US$494) in compensation each, which was handed over
by Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah during his visit
on Thursday.

"The families of the remaining victims will receive the
compensation soon. But the families of four people who were
killed recently should register with the local government in
order to get the funds," a staffer at Nabire Disaster Center,
Sugianto, told The Jakarta Post.

A powerful earthquake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale,
rocked Nabire on Nov. 26. Besides the 32 fatalities, 25 residents
were seriously injured, and more than 200 others suffered minor
injuries.

Officials say that the number of fatalities could rise as many
more bodies are believed to still be buried under rubble and have
not been recovered. Thousands of others are also believed to have
suffered injuries, but did not seek medical attention from
hospitals or health centers.

Bachtiar arrived in Nabire on Thursday afternoon along with
four other ministers and visited victims in local hospitals. The
ministers flew back to Jakarta a few hours later to report the
situation to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

As aftershocks continue, the latest measuring 4.9 on the
Richter scale took place on Sunday morning, more residents have
come down with various ailments due to poor standards of
sanitation.

At least 27 infants are currently being treated at the Nabire
Hospital for diarrhea, while up to 300 adults are suffering from
malaria, respiratory infections and other ailments.

Sugianto said that aid, such as tents, mosquito nets, blood,
food, clothes, towels, and cooking utensils, had been flowing in
from various agencies and institutions.

"The aid came from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of
Health, the Indonesian Red Cross, the Papua governor, (mining
firm) PT Freeport, and others. All the humanitarian assistance
has been channeled to the victims," he added.

Foreign countries like Japan have also provided aid for the
victims.

The continuing aftershocks caused more than 5,000 residents to
flee the town, deputy chief of Paniai Police, Wempi Batlayeri,
told the Post.

"Since the quake occurred, there have been two passenger ships
that stopped by Nabire, KM Ngapulu and KM Labobar, and
transported some 2,000 residents to the east side. There are also
Twin Otter planes belonging to Merpati and Trigaga that transport
aid to Nabire several times a day. After the delivery, usually
they take along residents, sometimes up to 17 people," said
Wempi.

Last month's earthquake was the second to jolt Nabire this
year after a major quake in February. The main quake at that
time, measuring 6.9 on Richter scale, killed at least 37 people
and injured hundreds of others.

It also came a couple of weeks after an earthquake hit Alor in
East Nusa Tenggara. So far the local government in Alor has
recorded 36 fatalities in the quake, which measured 6.4 on the
Richter scale.