Indian PM Modi sends condolences for Indonesia quake

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 22 expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to property from the earthquake that jolted the Indonesian island of Java

At least 162 people died in a powerful earthquake that rattled Indonesia's main island of Java on November 21. The rescuers are searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a series of aftershocks, Al Jazeera reported.

The epicentre of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake was near the town of Cianjur in mountainous West Java, about 75km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta. The region is home to over 2.5 million people.

The tremors destroyed many buildings and were felt in Cianjur in West Java at a depth of 10 km. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital, and other public facilities.

The toll is expected to rise further, but no estimates were immediately available. The residents of Cianjur live mostly in towns of single and two-storey buildings and in smaller homes in the surrounding countryside, Al Jazeera reported.

Many of the dead were public school students who had finished their classes for the day and were taking extra lessons at several Islamic schools when they collapsed, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said as he announced the new death toll in the remote area.

(ANI)