Nearly 165 dead, 700 injured as earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Java island

JAKARTA(a1tv news) An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 struck Indonesia’s main island on Monday, killing at least 165 people, the country’s rescue agency revealed.

Reports in international media quoting sources said a number of causalities could rise even further, while landslides have affected evacuation efforts in the quake-hit nation.

The epicenter of today’s quake was near the West Java town of Cianjur, where several buildings have been damaged.

Disturbing graphics on social media show several buildings with their roofs collapsed, while local authorities warned the masses to watch out for aftershocks.

The Southeast Asian nation witnessed several earthquakes due to volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Earlier this year, more than two dozen people were killed in West Sumatra province.

The 2004 earthquake is still remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in Indonesia in which more than 230,000 people were killed.