Indonesia President visits worst hit region

2009-09-04 08:51 BJT

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Indonesia's President has visited the West Java province, the area worst hit by a powerful earthquake.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia on Wednesday afternoon, has killed 57 people so far and caused widespread damage.

Yudhoyono visited a village in the Cianjur district, where a landslide buried a row of homes.

He cautioned rescue workers to be wary of aftershocks.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian President, said, "Before the aftershocks really stop, you still have to be aware. Remember previous disasters in Nabire, Nias and Aceh, there were a lot of aftershocks following the main quake. I hope there will be no aftershocks so we can immediately conduct the search and rescue."

Villagers were searching for more than 30 listed as missing and feared dead. Rescuers initially used their hands to dig through the mud and rubble. Heavy digging equipment had not reached many parts of the worst affected areas.

At least 110 people have been hospitalized with injuries, and 10 are in critical conditions.

Many of the casualties were caused by collapsing walls and roofs.

More than 24-thousand homes, offices, schools and mosques were damaged nationwide. Yudhoyono has pledged 500 thousand US dollars in national assistance to help victims.

Editor: Zhang Pengfei | Source: CCTV.com