“India stands with Indonesia”: PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Indonesia earthquake
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New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the loss of lives in the earthquake in Indonesia that killed over 260 people and said ‘India stands with Indonesia in this hour of grief’.
"Saddened by the loss of lives and damage to property from the earthquake in Indonesia. Deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands with Indonesia in this hour of grief," PM Modi tweeted.
As many as 268, many of them children, died in an earthquake that hit Indonesia’s Cianjur town in western Java on Monday.
More than 22,000 homes were destroyed and over 58,000 people have been displaced, country’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Major General Suharyanto said on Tuesday.
The 5.6-magnitude quake hit the Cianjur region in West Java about 1:21 p.m. local time on Monday at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), causing buildings to collapse while school classes were underway.
The scale of the death and destruction caused by the quake became increasingly clear on Tuesday, after earlier discrepancies in the reported death toll were reported by officials.
West Java governor Ridwan Kamil, late Monday, said that the majority of those who died were children.
“Many were public school students who had finished their regular classes and were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools,” he said.
Earthquakes are common in Indonesia, which sits on the “ring of fire” area of tectonic activity in the Pacific.
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