After a new count, the death toll rose to 602 in one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit Java, Indonesia last month, a local administration official said Friday after authorities verified unreported casualties across the country. the city.
On November 21, Cianjur, West Java’s most populous province, was hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that triggered landslides and buildings to collapse, killing many.
Cianjur local administration spokesman Adam said the new death toll of 602, which has risen from the previous figure of 334, was finalized on the basis of data collected from the town’s residents.
He added that many relatives had rushed to bury their people without informing the authorities about his death.
“If someone dies, Cianjur residents often bury them immediately. Due to the panic situation, relatives immediately bury those who die without notifying the local health agency,” Adam said.
“It was later revealed that around 600 people died when officially counted,” he said, citing the new figure of 602 finalized by the administration.
The new death toll was posted by the BPBD, a local rescue agency on social media.
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However, the spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, Abdul Muhari, said he would keep the death toll lower, which was 335, while they work to verify new figures.
“Because they were buried immediately and were not informed, their names were not put on the missing persons list,” Muhari said.
“The district chief said that they already have the data, regardless that we still have to verify,” he added. Muhari said that relatives, in order to receive help from the government, must remove their deceased relatives from their family register and obtain a death certificate. from local authorities.
(With agency contributions)
