Indonesia earthquake: Many schoolchildren killed in building collapses

Children who were in school when a significant earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java made up a large portion of the dead and injured, according to rescuers.

Aprizal Mulyadi, 14, claimed that as "the room collapsed, my legs were crushed under the rubble," he became stuck.

He claimed that his companion Zulfikar, who subsequently perished after becoming stuck himself, pulled him to safety.

According to Cianjur's local government, 252 persons have already died.

Earlier on Tuesday, the BNPB, Indonesia's national disaster response organization, reported 103 confirmed fatalities and 31 people still missing, but issued a warning that this figure was likely to rise.

On Monday, a hilly area was devastated by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that resulted in landslides that buried entire villages close to the West Java town of Cianjur.

As a result of collapsed walls and roofs, victims were crushed or imprisoned. Aprizal told the AFP news agency, "It all occurred so fast.

The fact that many of the victims were young individuals was also confirmed by a representative of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

Henri Alfiandi stated that "the majority of the casualties are children because at 1pm, they were still in school."

Numerous aftershocks caused more damage to the area where shoddy dwellings soon fell after the earthquake, which struck at a shallow depth of 10 km.

The body of a 28-year-old man who had been crushed to death when the other levels of the house fell on him was being sought for by a family in the village of Cibereum.

Rescuers battled to sort through the debris.

"We need to cut a hole through the concrete of the second floor where the victim was crushed. But the body has been seen, "First Sergeant Payakun, a military representative, told the BBC.

Authorities claim that over 13,000 people have been evacuated and at least 2,200 homes have been completely destroyed.

On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo traveled to the distant disaster area and was photographed with rescue workers.

My direction is to prioritize rescuing people still buried under debris, the man stated.

To aid in the rescue attempt, authorities have sent hundreds of police officers and other rescuers to the area.

Additionally, Mr. Jokowi promised to provide emergency aid and compensate impacted areas.

Indonesia, which is located in the Pacific "ring of fire" region of tectonic activity, experiences earthquakes frequently.

More than 2,000 people were killed in an earthquake on the island of Sulawesi in 2018; the nation has a history of severe earthquakes and tsunamis.