People perform Friday prayers in a village in Indonesia, days after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake left the country reeling. EPA
People perform Friday prayers in a village in Indonesia, days after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake left the country reeling. EPA
People perform Friday prayers in a village in Indonesia, days after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake left the country reeling. EPA
People perform Friday prayers in a village in Indonesia, days after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake left the country reeling. EPA

Indonesians pray outdoors as earthquake death toll rises to 310


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Worshippers in Indonesia held Friday prayer services outdoors in the West Java district of Cianjur, terrified that another earthquake might strike, as the number of people killed by a 5.6-magnitude quake on Monday rose above 300.

People have held open-air services next to rice paddies and in volleyball courts in Cianjur, where mosques were damaged in the deadly quake, around 80km from the capital, Jakarta.

“After the disaster, we are still afraid. So, we had to move here in this volleyball court, not in a mosque. I asked the congregation to stay on guard because disaster might strike again,” a Muslim cleric told AP.

Men prepare to perform Friday prayers outside a damaged building in Cianjur, West Java. AP
Men prepare to perform Friday prayers outside a damaged building in Cianjur, West Java. AP

Indonesia, a Muslim-majority nation, is prone to earthquakes. About 14,000 police and emergency workers have been stationed in Cianjur, where residents in dozens of villages were affected by the earthquake and ensuing landslides.

More than 20,000 houses in the district have been damaged.

Poor infrastructure has hindered rescue efforts and aid is running low as relief workers struggle to treat the more than 1,000 injured.

A total of 310 people have been confirmed dead and 24 are still missing, the national disaster mitigation agency said in a revised death toll on Friday afternoon.

A seven-year-old girl was found dead on Friday after a long rescue effort, emergency workers said. The body of Ashika Nur Fauziah was retrieved from under three layers of concrete in Cianjur town.

Rescuers had worked late into Thursday to try to rescue the girl, who was believed to have been playing at her grandmother's house when the earthquake hit.

Hopes for her survival were raised after another child was retrieved alive from under the debris.

Azka, six, was rescued from under rubble on Wednesday after spending two days trapped without food or water.

His mother and grandmother did not survive.

Azka, who goes by one name, was found in Cianjur's devastated area of Cugenang. A pillow protected him from being crushed by a slab of concrete, a local volunteer said.

  • Enjot, 45, who lost his house and relatives, walks past the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquake in Cianjur, Indonesia. AP
    Enjot, 45, who lost his house and relatives, walks past the rubble of a building that collapsed in the earthquake in Cianjur, Indonesia. AP
  • Rescuers use a saw as they try to recover the body of a victim from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Cianjur. AP
    Rescuers use a saw as they try to recover the body of a victim from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Cianjur. AP
  • People ride a motorbike past a damaged building in Cianjur. AP
    People ride a motorbike past a damaged building in Cianjur. AP
  • Army officers help to evacuate people in Cugenang, Cianjur. Reuters
    Army officers help to evacuate people in Cugenang, Cianjur. Reuters
  • A man collects clothes from his damaged house in Cianjur. AP
    A man collects clothes from his damaged house in Cianjur. AP
  • A mother holds her son in front of her damaged house in Cianjur after the 5.6 magnitude earthquake. EPA
    A mother holds her son in front of her damaged house in Cianjur after the 5.6 magnitude earthquake. EPA
  • A man carries an injured child to a hospital in Cianjur. Reuters
    A man carries an injured child to a hospital in Cianjur. Reuters
  • An elderly man stands near his damaged house in Cugenang, Cianjur. Reuters
    An elderly man stands near his damaged house in Cugenang, Cianjur. Reuters
  • A man is shocked as he inspects the damage caused by the earthquake in Cianjur. AP
    A man is shocked as he inspects the damage caused by the earthquake in Cianjur. AP
  • Villagers salvage items from damaged houses in Cianjur. AFP
    Villagers salvage items from damaged houses in Cianjur. AFP
  • Rescuers help a victim of the earthquake that hit Cianjur. EPA
    Rescuers help a victim of the earthquake that hit Cianjur. EPA
  • Rescuers carry an injured victim of the earthquake at a hospital in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia. EPA
    Rescuers carry an injured victim of the earthquake at a hospital in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia. EPA
  • A victim of the earthquake that hit Cianjur. EPA
    A victim of the earthquake that hit Cianjur. EPA
  • A health worker helps a young boy who was injured in the earthquake. EPA
    A health worker helps a young boy who was injured in the earthquake. EPA
  • Municipality officers evacuate their injured colleague following the earthquake. Reuters
    Municipality officers evacuate their injured colleague following the earthquake. Reuters
  • Workers inspect a store damaged during the earthquake. AP
    Workers inspect a store damaged during the earthquake. AP
  • People injured during the earthquake receive treatment at a hospital car park in Cianjur. AP
    People injured during the earthquake receive treatment at a hospital car park in Cianjur. AP
  • People gather outside Indonesia Defence Ministry buildings following the earthquake. Reuters
    People gather outside Indonesia Defence Ministry buildings following the earthquake. Reuters
  • People in Jakarta gather outside after being evacuated from buildings. Reuters
    People in Jakarta gather outside after being evacuated from buildings. Reuters
Updated: November 25, 2022, 12:41 PM