Cianjur residents urged not to panic, stay alert for aftershocks

Cianjur, W Java (ANTARA) - Cianjur district’s Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) asked residents to remain alert for aftershocks, especially at night, to prevent more casualties after a 4.3-magnitude (M) earthquake jolted the region early on Tuesday morning.

Head of Cianjur district’s BPBD, Fatah Rizal, informed here on Tuesday that 10 residents were injured in the disaster, with most of them struck by falling ceilings and roof tiles.

"Meanwhile, a few of them suffered minor injuries because they fell down when they panicked and ran out of their houses. Hence, we urge the residents, especially those who have returned to their homes, to stay vigilant and not panic," he said.

He urged residents whose houses were moderately damaged, especially those at risk of collapsing, to take refuge in emergency shelters or temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, people whose houses were slightly damaged were allowed to stay at their own homes and advised to stay alert for any aftershocks by preparing the easiest evacuation route.

They were also asked to sleep near the exit so that if an earthquake occurs, they would be able to easily evacuate their family members, especially children and the elderly.

Rizal said that in a number of residential areas, people are carrying out joint night patrols as a disaster mitigation measure so that they can immediately wake up sleeping residents if an earthquake strikes.

"The main thing is to not panic and to always be vigilant because we cannot predict when aftershocks will occur. We hope that there will be no more damaging aftershocks," he added.

Residents of a number of villages in Pacet, Cugenang, and Cianjur sub-districts of Cianjur district again flocked to refugee camps as they were traumatized by the 4.3M earthquake that rattled the region at 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

The earthquake was centered on land at a depth of 10 kilometers and located at 6.82 degrees south latitude and 107.07 degrees east longitude, or 7 km northwest of Cianjur district.

A resident of Nagrak village, Hadi Saefuloh, said that his family had only returned to their house two weeks ago following a 5.6M quake, which struck the area on November 21, 2022.

“We again felt a very strong earthquake early this morning, thus we chose to set up an emergency tent in front of the house for (staying) tonight," he added.

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