A woman comforts her daughter as they stand in front of their damaged house after an earthquake in Pangalengan, West Java September 3, 2009. The death toll from the 7.0 magnitude quake that struck Indonesia, shattering rural homes and forcing terrified city residents into the street, stood at 44 and was likely to rise, government agencies said on Thursday.

Credits: REUTERS/Supri

Rescuers are searching for survivors following a powerful earthquake which hit Indonesia yesterday. Up to 49 people have been killed in the 7-magnitude tremor which struck off the coast of Java.

Hundreds of people have been injured and there are fears for the lives of villagers who have been buried under landslides caused by rainfall following the earthquake.

Damaged roads and bad weather have been hampering attempts to transport rescue equipment to villages where there are collapsed buildings.


Over 18,000 houses have been assessed as damaged so far. Around 5000 people have been housed in temporary shelters. Areas affected are in a total of ten districts with the worst affected being in Tasikmalaya District.

Caritas teams are in communities assessing damage and needs following the earthquake. Staff say that the effects of the earthquake are “patchy” with up to ten or more villages affected in some districts and two or fewer affected in others.

Caritas is sending blankets, sarongs, hygiene kits, tarpaulins and lamps to Garut and these will be distributed through local parishes. More help will be provided as a clearer picture of the disaster emerges.

Indonesia lies in a highly seismic area and was one of the worst hit countries in the 2004 tsunami in which over 200,000 people died.

For more information, please contact Laura Sheahen +855-12-93-11-89 LSheahen@kh.seapro.crs.org (in Asia) or Michelle Hough on +39 06 69879721/+39 334 2344136 or hough@caritas.va