TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Tuban, East Java on March 22 damaged thousands of houses and public facilities. The East Java Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported a total of 4,679 houses had been damaged as of 06:00 WIB (Western Indonesia Time) on March 25.

Specifically, 774 houses were seriously damaged; 1,332 houses were moderately damaged; and 2,573 houses were slightly damaged. Gresik Regency suffered the most damage: 772 houses were severely damaged, 1,330 houses were moderately damaged, and 2,554 houses were slightly damaged. Other damaged houses were found in Tuban, Lamongan, Sidorajo, Pamekasan, and Surabaya.

Abdul Muhari, the head of the data, information, and communication center at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said that the geological disaster also caused damage to public facilities, including 183 places of worship, 91 schools, 24 office buildings, and 5 hospitals. Most of the damaged public facilities were also located in Gresik Regency.

“The BPBD is still assessing the extent of damage to these facilities,” Muhari said in a written statement on Monday, March 25.

The East Java BPBD further reported that 33,535 people were displaced by the powerful earthquake, including 18,531 adults, 10,109 children, and 4,895 elderly. The agency also noted that there were 256 aftershocks as of 06:00 WIB on March 25.

IRSYAN HASYIM (CONTRIBUTOR)

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