Sukabumi earthquake causes more than Rp 15m in losses

BANDUNG (JP): The recent earthquake which shook Jakarta and some areas of West Java has resulted in financial losses of Rp 15 billion in the hardest-hit town of Sukabumi alone.

A report prepared by the Sukabumi Natural Disaster Coordinating Unit for the West Java governor on Friday revealed that the full figure represented the value of damaged buildings and other infrastructure.

Quoting the report, a member of the unit, Deni Ludiana, said more than 10,000 houses were damaged by the quake on Wednesday, with 2,126 of them totally destroyed.

In Sukabumi alone, the quake also destroyed 107 schools, not including 13 Islamic boarding schools, 267 mosques, one hospital, three health centers, irrigation networks and a bridge, Deni said.

"Only five out of the 124 people injured during the quake are still hospitalized at Sukabumi state hospital," he added.

According to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, the epicenter of the tectonic event, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, was in the vicinity of Sukabumi, some 100 kilometers south of Jakarta.

The ruined buildings were mostly located in 16 districts in the regency of Sukabumi.

Many remain fearful about possible aftershocks, due to the fact that at least nine quakes have hit Sukabumi over the past month.

Records kept by the seismology laboratory at the Bandung Institute of Technology indicated that the latest tremor on Wednesday was the strongest.

West Java Governor R. Nuriana said on Friday that repairs would soon be made to damaged infrastructure and public buildings, such as hospitals, schools and mosques.

"A total of Rp 100 million has been allocated from the provincial budget for the quake victims," Nuriana said, adding that 10 tons of rice and 3,000 sacks of portland cement were also to be handed over to the victims.

Meanwhile, the Bogor administration has called on local businessmen to help in the distribution of aid for those affected by the quake.

A large number of residents in eight Bogor districts have been left homeless after the tremors destroyed their houses.

Official estimates indicate that more than 1,000 houses were affected. More than 500 of these houses were severely damaged.

The financial losses inflicted by the tremor in Bogor were provisionally estimated at Rp 2.5 billion.

Bogor is also situated on a fault line. A strong quake jolted the town in May. (21/25/sur)