One more killed asaftershock hits Nabire
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta/Kupang
An aftershock again rocked the Papua town of Nabire on Wednesday, as residents were battling against various diseases that had struck the city since the main quake last Friday.
The aftershock, measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, killed one person, bringing the death toll in the disaster to 29, Antara reported.
Aris, 30, a resident of Karang Tumaritis hamlet in Nabire, was killed after the major aftershock that destroyed his house.
Officials at the Meteorology and Geophysics Office (BMG) said that the powerful aftershock had its epicenter the 33 kilometers south west of Nabire.
The city has been rattled by some 200 smaller aftershocks between Tuesday and Wednesday, which kept local residents in constant fear.
In Jakarta, BMG's national office predicted that the aftershocks would continue for between 20 days to a month after the main quake.
Suharjono, the earthquake division head of the BMG, estimated that the aftershocks would not exceed the strength of last week's quake, which stood at 6.4 on the Richter scale.
Due to the possibility of more aftershocks in the weeks ahead, Suharjono called on Nabire residents to stay away from damaged houses and other structures.
Meanwhile, health officials in Nabire said that three ailments had affected Nabire residents after Friday earthquake, namely malaria, diarrhea and respiratory problems.
Pieter M. Paddalan, the head of Nabire Hospital, said 75 people were hospitalized due to malaria, 54 had respiratory problems and 40 had diarrhea. Most of victims, who are being treated at the hospital, were children.
The diseases struck the residents who lived in tents erected outside the hospital for fear of further aftershocks, said Pieter.
As of Wednesday, local residents were waiting for three ministers, including Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, who were set to visit the area on the same day.
Besides the huge number of fatalities, Friday's quake also injured hundreds of residents and left thousands of others homeless.
Meanwhile, Alor regental government announced on Wednesday that more medicine and medical workers were needed in the regency after a major earthquake that hit the regency on Nov. 13.
Alor Deputy Regent Abraham Maulaka said that many residents had been struck by post quake diseases.
Separately, chief of the social services office at East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration Franciscus Salem said that the provincial government would build low cost housing complexes in order to allow Alor residents to settle there.
The buildings are expected to completed before Christmas this year, said Franciscus.
The government is now collecting data on the victims of the earthquake, which killed at least 34 and injured hundreds of others.