A six-year-old boy has been pulled from the rubble of a deadly Indonesia earthquake after spending two days trapped under debris without food or water, in a “miracle” rescue.
The dramatic rescue captured on camera Wednesday evening revived hopes that survivors could still be pulled alive from the wreckage days after the strong tremor that hit the West Java town of Cianjur on Monday, killing at least 271 people.
“Once we realised Azka was alive everybody broke into tears, including me,” 28-year-old local volunteer Jeksen Kolibu told AFP on Thursday.
“It was very moving, it felt like a miracle.”
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Indonesia, (Reuters) – Indonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to get aid to thousands of people displaced by a deadly earthquake in western Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts of rescue teams.
Monday’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake in the town of Cianjur, about 75 km (50 miles) south of the capital Jakarta, killed at least 271 people and left thousands sheltering in tents with scant medical and aid supplies.
Suharyanto, the disaster mitigation agency chief, said on Thursday many had not received aid and nearly 200 volunteers were deployed to help distribute water, instant food, tents and diapers.
Survivors, including the elderly and small children, huddled inside military tents set up some distance away from devastated villages, while others queued up to receive aid packets from volunteers.
Rescuers use a sniffer dog to find victims as the rescue operation continues at an area affected by landslides following an earthquake in Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, November 24, 2022. (REUTERS-PHOTO)
A woman reacts after watching her destroyed home following Monday s earthquake that hit Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, November 24, 2022. (REUTERS-PHOTO)
In Sukamanah village, residents said they were having to ration food and were short of supplies for children, including medicines, diapers and milk.
Ema Hermawati, wife of the village chief, said sanitation was lacking as trash started to pile up and there was no running water or portable toilets.
President Joko Widodo visited the site of the quake for a second time on Thursday and urged that aid distribution and rescue efforts continue as quickly as possible
“The conditions are steep,” he said of the rugged terrain, adding there was a shortage of tents and water. “It’s still raining and there are still aftershocks. The ground is shaky, so caution is needed.”
