Earthquake claims at least 46 lives in Indonesia

A house damaged in the earthquake in Cianjur town of Indonesia's West Java province on November 21 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - A 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed at least 36 people and injured about 700 others in Cianjur town, Indonesia's West Java province on November 21 afternoon, according to the town’s authorities.

Herman Suherman, a government official in Cianjur, said that some residents were trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings. News channel Metro TV showed what appeared to be hundreds of victims being treated in a hospital parking lot.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the quake’s epicentre was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). There was no potential for a tsunami.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it sits in a vulnerable area called the Pacific Ring of Fire./.

VNA