Sukabumi earthquake causes more than Rp 15m in losses

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)