The BNPB chief was initially scheduled to visit the landslide victims in Sumedang District, West Java, along with members of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR). However, he cancelled the plan after receiving information of an earthquake in West Sulawesi, BNPB spokesman Egy Massadiah noted in a written statement released on Friday.
Massadiah remarked that the BNPB chief had instructed his staff to deploy four helicopters to the quake-hit areas in West Sulawesi.
At least eight people lost their lives, while 637 others sustained injuries in a 6.2-magnitude earthquake ensued by several aftershocks that hit Majene District, West Sulawesi, on early Friday.
The quake also compelled nearly 15 thousand residents to take refuge.
The epicenter of the powerful earthquake was located on land, six kilometers northeast of Majene District, at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
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Translator: Dewanto Samodro/Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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