Indonesia – Java quake

I’ll be heading off to bed soon, and I wonder when I wake what the news will be. A 6.2 quake hit the Southern Indonesian area a few hours ago, and the BBC is reporting the number of dead and injured is climbing.

The quake, measuring 6.2, flattened buildings in a densely-populated area near the city of Yogyakarta on the southern coast of Java.

Witnesses said people fled as their homes collapsed around them, after the quake struck early in the morning.

Electricity and communications across the city were also down, police said.

Yogyakarta’s airport was closed. Local media said the runway had cracked and part of a roof had caved in.

The city is near an active volcano, Mount Merapi, that has been in the news recently because thousands of people were evacuated from the area.

Seismologists say the quake was tectonic (shifting plates) and not because of the volcanic activity. The area is experiencing strong shallow aftershocks.

Update:  Infrastructure in the area is destroyed, it’s going to be difficult to get medical aid and other supplies in.
With power out, reports from Indonesians are coming from the north. Unicef is in the area as well as Oxfam because of evacuations from the Mount Merapi area. 20 thousand people who initially fled the volcano in the region are in tent shelters, and the Indonesian Red Cross says it has 21 field hospitals. Much more immediate recovery assistance will be needed.

Indonesia Help
MediaCenter.or.id – missing persons
Centre for Indonesian Tourism
Information BBC comments
Herman Saksano
Indonesia Newsnet
Indonesia Red Cross (.pdf)
Oxfam Canadian Embassy – Jakarta

– Jakarta