TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of aftershocks following the major 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Cianjur two weeks ago are still happening every day. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that as of Friday morning, December 2 there have been 367 aftershocks.

"As of 06:00 this morning there have been 367 aftershocks in Cianjur," the BMKG's head of the Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Daryono, said on Friday.

Daryono reasserted that the aftershocks' strength continues to weaken and the frequency is getting rarer. Twenty-four hours before, or as of 06:00 Thursday, 354 aftershocks were recorded.

According to Daryono, the Cianjur earthquake is an important reminder that in Indonesia there are still many active faults capable of triggering strong and damaging earthquakes, and the sources have not been mapped.

"For this reason, activities to identify active fault earthquake sources and their mapping must be encouraged continuously," he said.

As of Friday, 329 people have died because of the Cianjur earthquake. This number is likely to get higher as there are still 11 people missing and being searched for.

Cianjur Regent Herman Suherman said that the joint search and rescue team had been facing constraints due to rain and aftershocks. The team, he said, would use the remaining two days, today and tomorrow, to search for missing victims.

Maria Fransisca Lahur

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