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.