Indonesia earthquake kills at least 2,700

[SlowwHand]

By IRWAN FIRDAUS, Associated Press Writer
11 minutes ago

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake flattened homes and hotels in central Indonesia early Saturday as people slept, killing at least 2,700 and injuring thousands more in the nation's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 5:54 a.m. near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, 250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta, as most people were sleeping, causing death and damage in many nearby towns.

The quake's epicenter was close to the rumbling Mount Merapi volcano, and activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris cascading some two miles down its western flank.

Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral Ministry said the two events did not appear to be directly related but warned that Saturday's earthquake could trigger a larger eruption.

"It will influence the activities of Mount Merapi, particularly in the lava dome," said Dwiyanto, head of the ministry's geological division.

[SlowwHand]

Indonesia quake toll rises to nearly 4,000

By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer

BANTUL, Indonesia - Exhausted and grieving survivors dug through their crumpled homes Sunday searching for clothes, food and valuables after a powerful earthquake hit central Indonesia, killing nearly 4,000 people.

The magnitude-6.3 quake struck early Saturday and injured thousands more in the heart of densely populated Java island, in the country's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami. It also triggered fears that a nearby rumbling volcano would erupt and caused serious damage to the world-famous 9th century Prambanan temple.

The disaster zone stretched across hundreds of square miles of mostly farming communities in Yogyakarta province. The worst devastation was in the town of Bantul, where more than 2,700 people were killed and 80 percent of the homes were flattened.

"I have to start my life from zero again," said Poniran, whose 5-year-old daughter Ellie was killed in the quake.

Poniran dug up his still-breathing daughter from the rubble of her bedroom, but she died in a hospital awaiting treatment along with hundreds of others.

"Her last words were 'Daddy, Daddy,'" he said.

At least 3,875 people were killed in the quake, command post officials from the affected districts told The Associated Press. The social ministry said around 4,200 died, but later revised its figures downward.

Another 200,000 people were left homeless, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Tens of thousands spent the night Saturday sleeping in any open space available — on streets, in cassava fields, even on the narrow paths between rice fields. Power and telephone service was out across much of the region, adding to the terror of some 450 aftershocks, the strongest measuring 5.2.

Survivors searched the ruins of their homes on Sunday for anything still usable and complained that they hadn't received any aid.

"We're short of everything — clothes, food, water, all are gone. We are poor people, but our lives still matter," said Budi Wiyana, 63, whose house was destroyed.

Doctors struggled to care for the injured, hundreds of whom were lying on plastic sheets, straw mats and even newspapers outside overcrowded hospitals, some hooked to intravenous drips dangling from trees.

Bloodstains littered the floor at Yogyakarta's Dr. Sardjito Hospital, along with piles of soiled bandages and used medical supplies.

Relatives fanned victims in the heat in temporary shelters set up in the parking lot and corridors.

"We have too many patients and they're still arriving," said Aru, a doctor, adding that the hospital had received more than 2,000 patients.

Though some corpses were pulled from the rubble early Sunday, residents in villages visited by reporters said there were few people or bodies trapped beneath collapsed houses, mostly simple brick and wood structures.

But in Peni, a small village on Bantul's southern outskirts, 20 residents were not ready to give up. They found the bodies of a woman and her three children Saturday, and were still trying to find the family's father, Purwoko.

Most of the dead were buried in village graveyards within hours of the disaster, in line with Islamic tradition.

In Peni, villagers set up simple clinics to treat injuries, but were hampered by shortages of medicine and equipment. A group of women cooked catfish caught in a nearby pond for dozens of people huddled under a large tent.

The earthquake hit at 5:54 a.m., caving in tile roofs and sending walls crashing down. Survivors screamed as they ran from their homes, some clutching bloodied children and the elderly.

The quake was the latest in a series of disasters to hit Indonesia — including the 2004 tsunami that killed 131,000 people in Aceh province, terrorist attacks, a widening bird flu outbreak and the threat of eruption from nearby Mount Merapi.

The quake's epicenter was 50 miles south of Merapi, and activity increased soon after the temblor. A large burst spewed hot clouds and sent debris cascading some two miles down its western flank. No one was injured because nearby residents had already been evacuated.

Bambang Dwiyanto of the Energy and Mineral Ministry could not say whether the quake caused the volcanic activity but warned that it could trigger a larger eruption.

International agencies and other nations pledged millions of dollars of aid.

Officials said the famed 7th century Borobudur Buddhist temple, one of Indonesia's most popular tourist attractions, was not affected by the quake. But Prambanan, a spectacular Hindu temple to the southeast, suffered serious damage, with hundreds of stone carvings and blocks scattered around the ancient site.

It will be closed to the public until archeologists are able to determine whether the foundation was damaged, said Agus Waluyo, head of the Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency.

Close to 1 million tourists visit the Borobudur and Prambanan temples every year.

***************************************

More than 4,600 dead in Indonesian quake

By Achmad Sukarsono
1 hour, 19 minutes ago

BANTUL, Indonesia (Reuters) - Rescue workers dug desperately for survivors on Sunday and hospitals struggled to cope with the thousands of injured, a day after an earthquake killed more than 4,600 people on Indonesia's Java island.


Up to 20,000 had been injured and more than 100,000 have been left homeless.

[Combat Ingrid]

[Urban Ranger]

I wonder why such a non-so-severe quake killed that many. :/

[Ninot]

Because a house of cards falls over less easily than their poorly constructed homes?

[SlowwHand]

Worse since Tsunami, and area is prone to bad weather. They're begging for help.

[SlowwHand]

Update.

Indonesia quake toll tops 5,000

By Achmad Sukarsono
Mon May 29, 12:39 PM ET

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Aid trickled in on Monday for survivors of an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people on Indonesia's Java island, but tens of thousands of homeless foraged on their own in heavy rain for food and shelter.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I wonder why such a non-so-severe quake killed that many. :/

Third-world housing standards ...or lack thereof.


I remember L.A.'s Whittier Narrows earthquake. We had one fatality--a guy who had managed to survive the Managua earthquake, which destroyed Niguaragua's capital. He had been so traumatized by the previous earthquake that, when the L.A. earthquake hit, he jumped out a window to his death.

[BlackCat]

Nah, only a handfull of westerners are hit, so who cares ?

No tourists that can't come home because of slow ministers, so no big headlines demanding the head on a platter for this, so news of course puts it on page three.

[Pekka]

BC, be careful, there are lots of muslims in Indonesia. You might want to change your words into something about bad buildings and trusting religion over standards or something.

Just wanted to help you here

Anyway, surely sucks. Are there any websites or stats with the overall disaster casualties of south east asia region, say for yearly cycles? It seems pretty high...

[Zkribbler]

Being a pseudo-expert of geology, I would hypothesize that this most recent earthquake was caused by an increase techtonic pressure caused by the previous megaquake.

[Guynemer]

Jesus Christ.

Time for my yearly donation to Medecins Sans Frontiers.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Third-world housing standards ...or lack thereof.

Also the people there probably didn't know how to react properly in an earthquake. You know, hiding beneath sturdy furniture and stuff.

[SlowwHand]

USA, butting in again. That damn country.

Marines bring supplies for quake victims
AP - Tue May 30, 6:48 AM ET

BANTUL, Indonesia � Two U.S. military cargo planes landed Tuesday at the site of an earthquake in Indonesia that killed more than 5,400, bringing some of the first significant aid to reach the tens of thousands of survivors who were left homeless. About 20 U.S. Marines arrived on the cargo planes in the historic city of Yogyakarta and unloaded heavy lifting machinery and a portable field hospital, as Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese rescue workers joined Indonesian teams providing medical care and emergency supplies to victims.

[Arrian]

Doh.

One of my neighbors is a building inspector. Every few years he goes with a group of other inspector types down to Peru to help teach counterparts how to properly enforce new building codes (Peru is apparently trying to be proactive). I always thought that was a great thing to do.

I should ask him what organization runs their trips, and donate to them. It's not that the Red Cross, Doctors w/o Borders, etc. aren't worthy, mind you.

-Arrian