Indonesia quake death toll reaches 57

As of 3:30 p.m. Jakarta time, the dead included 21 in Cianjur, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of the capital, 10 in Garut, nine in Tasikmalaya, nine in Bandung, four in Ciamis, two in Sukabumi and two in Bogor, the agency said on its Web site. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived in Babakan Caringin village in Cianjur about 2 p.m. today, according to the Presidential Palace media office, Bloomberg said.

The quake struck off the south coast of Java about 115 kilometers from the city of Tasikmalaya, to the southeast of the Indonesian capital.

“Tasikmalaya and neighboring cities such as Garut and Bandung have large, densely populated towns and villages,” Laura Blank, World Vision’s media relations manager, said in an e-mailed statement earlier today. The agency is working with local governments to coordinate relief efforts.

The quake was the world’s strongest since a 7.5-magnitude earthquake near India’s Andaman Islands on Aug. 10, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was close to the epicenter of a 7.7-magnitude quake that hit in July 2006, leaving 730 people dead in Java.

Most of the dead were buried in landslides or under collapsed houses, Antara, the state news agency reported today. The quake destroyed 795 homes, along with mosques and schools, Antara said.

Rescue workers were using their hands and light equipment to dig through rubble at the site of the landslide because heavy excavators are having trouble reaching the area, said Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman at the National Crisis Center.

About 450 people were injured and 2,000 have taken shelter, the health ministry said in a press release.

PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara’s geothermal power plant Gunung Salak Unit 2 was knocked offline by the quake, as well as a 500- kilovolt transformer in Bandung and some 150-kilovolt transformers in southern West Java province, said Murtaqi Syamsudin, director of operations at Perusahaan’s Java-Bali electricity system.

The quake rocked buildings in Jakarta and forced evacuations of businesses and hotels.