Indonesian earthquake kills at least 268, with others missing

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Monday hit Indonesia's main island, Java. By Tuesday, at least 268 were reported dead, with 151 missing and hundreds more wounded. Many of the dead were public school students who were taking extra lessons at Islamic schools when the buildings collapsed, said West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil. The government hasn’t estimated the number of people injured because of the far-flung rural population. 

Have there been aftershocks? Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency recorded at least 25 aftershocks. The country is situated on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. It was hit with a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in February, killing 25 people and injuring 460. In January 2021, another magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit and killed more than 100 people and injured almost 6,500 more. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour on an Indonesian earthquake in 2021.