Jakarta (ANTARA) - The death toll from the earthquake in Cianjur district, West Java, climbed to 318 on Saturday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) informed.

"Data on Saturday showed that 318 people have died. Until 5 p.m. local time today, we have found another eight bodies," deputy III of BNPB, Major General Fajar Setyawan, informed at a virtual press conference, which was followed from Jakarta on Saturday.

He said that 14 people were still missing. Meanwhile, the number of people injured in the quake stood at 7,729. Of the total, 595 suffered severe injuries, and 7,134 sustained light injuries. At least 108 severely injured people were treated at the hospital.

"Those who have minor injuries already returned to their homes," Setyawan added.

Further, 73,693 people were taking shelter in refugee camps as of Saturday, he said.

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Meanwhile, the number of homes damaged in the earthquake was recorded at 58,049, he informed. Around 25,186 houses were seriously damaged, 12,496 moderately damaged, and 20,367 houses were lightly damaged.

The damaged infrastructure included 368 schools, 144 places of worship, 14 health facilities, and 16 buildings or offices. A total of 16 districts and 146 villages were affected by the earthquake.

"Until Saturday, we deployed a helicopter unit to map remote areas that are difficult to reach by vehicles. We also deployed motorbikes to reach places that vehicles cannot go through," he added.

So far, 3 thousand food packages, 6 thousand blankets, 5 thousand pieces of bedding, 500 saltwater lamps, 1 thousand hygiene kits, 500 mattresses, and 10 generator sets, among others, have been distributed for quake-affected residents. The assistance has been distributed to 16 sub-districts in Cianjur, he said.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Cianjur district, West Java, at 1:21 p.m. local time on November 21, 2022. It was centered 10 kilometers southwest of the district at a depth of 10 km. It did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.

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Translator: Indriani, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Suharto
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