SAR Team Finds 8 More Victims of Cianjur Earthquake, Death Toll Increases to 318

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of dead victims caused by the Cianjur earthquake continues to increase. Until today, the total casualty reached 318 on Saturday, November 26.

"Today's evacuation found eight more people died, so the total [death toll] as of today at 17:00 is 318 people,"  said the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) deputy of emergency mitigation TNI general major, Fajar Setiawan, Saturday, Nov. 26.

According to Fajar, the total number of missing victims that are currently in search is 14. “We will continue the search until all of them can be found," he said.

National search and rescue team representative from Bandung, Jashua B, conveyed that they had to face obstacles during the search in the morning at the landslide location in Sate Shinta diner. 

“Water pump owed by PDAM over the hill leaked, the water flow was quite swift so it highly disrupted the search,” Jashua explained.

He went on that they needed to avoid the flow of the water that ran swiftly to the location as it would be dangerous. "That's why we made a dike so that the flow of water does not lead to the search point," said Jashua.

The 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Cianjur Regency, West Java, on Monday, November 21. Hundreds of people died and thousands of houses were damaged. Until today, the victims are still at the evacuation posts to anticipate aftershocks that are still happening.

DEDEN ABDUL AZIZ

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