CIANJUR (INDONESIA): Disaster Relief officials in Indonesia Tuesday said that as many as 268 people have died in an earthquake that hit Java. Officials said that more than 151 people went missing after the disaster in the western part of Indonesia.
Officials Say Rescue Operation is Underway
A local in the area, Iwan Gunawan said that he was forced to leave his wounded wife and rescue his daughter following a strong earthquake that struck Java the largest province of Indonesia. He said that he tried but rescue his daughter only.
He said that he made his best effort to rescue his wife as well but failed. Gunawan was standing in front of his destroyed house and recalled the tragic death of his wife, adding that he lost everything including his family.
He remembered the day before the earthquake when his wife was busy in cooking local staple cassava in the home for the entire family. He said that he is devastated as his house is destroyed and lost his wife as well.
The rescue operation is being carried out to find trapped people while locals made efforts to recover their pets and other belongings.
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo also visited the site and offered compensation to the victims.
