Indonesia's Cianjur quake death toll jumps to 602

A woman looks at a house damaged by an earthquake in Sukamulya, Cianjur on Nov 27, 2022. - Reuters

JAKARTA (AFP): The death toll from an earthquake that hit Indonesia's main island Java last month has jumped by hundreds to 602, a local administration official said Friday (Dec 16), after authorities verified unreported casualties across the worst-hit town.

The shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the town of Cianjur in Indonesia's most populous province West Java on Nov 21, with most of the victims killed as buildings collapsed or landslides were triggered.

Cianjur local administration spokesman Adam, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP the new toll -- up from a previously reported figure of 334 -- was based on data collected from residents across the town.

He said many people had rushed to bury their relatives after the disaster without reporting their deaths to authorities.

"If someone dies, residents in Cianjur often immediately bury them. Because of the panicked situation, those who died were immediately buried by relatives without notifying the local health agency," he said.

The local rescue agency, known as the BPBD, posted the new death toll on social media. An official from the agency, Wawan Setiawan, confirmed the new toll to AFP.

State news agency Antara on Friday cited Cianjur district head Herman Suherman as giving a new death toll of 602.

National disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari told AFP it was still sticking with a lower death toll of 335 but was working to verify the new figure.