Tag: Indonesia

Magnitude-6.2 quake hits Indonesia’s West Sulawesi

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong, magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi on Friday, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which hit at 2:18 am local time Friday (18:18 GMT Thursday). The epicentre was 36 kilometres (22 miles) south of Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi, and the quake had a depth of 18 kilometres, the USGS said. Mamuju is home […]

Indonesia landslide toll rises to 21 as rescuers search for missing

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian rescuers dug through mud Wednesday as they scrambled to find survivors from weekend landslides caused by torrential rains, as the death toll rose to 21 and 19 others were listed as missing. A landslide struck the village of Sumedang in West Java Saturday night, followed hours later by a second that engulfed rescuers digging for survivors. The death toll has nearly doubled from the 11 deaths reported on Sunday. And […]

President Widodo gets first Sinovac jab to prove its safety as Indonesia starts mass vaccination

  (Eagle News) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo was the first to be inoculated with China’s Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 on Wednesday, Jan. 13, as Indonesia officially kicked off its mass vaccination drive starting with the Chinese-developed vaccines. The vaccination of the Indonesian president was broadcast live on television. Widodo had earlier announced that he would be the first one to get the jab to allay the public’s fears about getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The […]

Indonesia divers search for crashed plane’s second black box

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian investigators said Wednesday they were hopeful of retrieving a crashed passenger jet’s second black box, as they seek to explain why the plane with 62 people aboard slammed into the sea minutes after takeoff. Divers just off the coast of the capital Jakarta hauled the jet’s flight data recorder to the surface Tuesday, with the hunt now focused on finding its cockpit voice recorder on the wreckage-littered seabed. The devices […]

Indonesia okays emergency use of Sinovac, as Turkey announces start of vaccination this week

  (Eagle News) — Indonesia has given emergency use approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac BioTech Ltd., and is set to start vaccination using the vaccines. As this developed, Turkey also announced that it would start vaccination using the Chinese-made vaccine by Thursday or Friday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself announced the start of the vaccination in Turkey In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post reported that no less than Indonesian President Joko Widodo […]

Indonesia recovers first black box from crashed plane

by Dessy SAGITA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A black box from the crashed Indonesian passenger jet has been recovered, officials said Tuesday, a discovery that could offer critical clues to explaining why the plane with 62 people aboard slammed into the sea. Divers just off the coast of the capital Jakarta hauled the jet’s flight data recorder to the surface, as the hunt continues for its cockpit voice recorder. Indonesian transport minister […]

Indonesian divers hunt for crashed plane’s black boxes

  by Dessy SAGITA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian divers returned Tuesday to a wreckage-littered seabed off Jakarta in their hunt for the black boxes that will likely be key to unlocking the mystery of why a passenger jet carrying 62 people fell from the sky. Some 3,600 personnel are taking part in the recovery effort, assisted by dozens of boats and helicopters flying over small islands off the capital’s coast. Underwater […]

Crew on crashed Indonesian passenger jet did not declare emergency

  by Haeril HALIM Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — The crew of an Indonesian passenger jet that crashed off Jakarta at the weekend with 62 people aboard did not declare an emergency or report technical problems before it suddenly plunged into the sea, an investigator said Monday. Authorities have so far been unable to explain why the 26-year-old plane crashed just four minutes after takeoff, but say they’ve pinpointed the location of the […]

Divers search Indonesian plane wreckage for black boxes

  by Haeril HALIM Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian divers searched waters off Jakarta Monday in a hunt for black boxes from the passenger jet with 62 people aboard that crashed at the weekend, as investigators took up the grim task of identifying victims’ mangled remains. Finding the boxes — cockpit voice and flight data recorders — could offer crucial clues as to why the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plunged some 10,000 […]

Bali bombing-linked cleric Bashir freed from prison

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Abu Bakar Bashir, a radical cleric linked to the deadly Bali bombings, was freed from a prison near the Indonesian capital Jakarta early Friday, prison authorities said. “He was handed over to his family and a team of lawyers who came to pick him up at the penitentiary,” national prisons spokeswoman Rika Aprianti said in a statement. Bashir, 82, had completed his jail term for helping fund militant training in conservative […]

Indonesian baby sea turtles make a break for freedom

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AFP) — Newly hatched, dozens of baby turtles flipped and flopped their way down a beach towards the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean, under the watchful gaze of conservationists at an Indonesian national park. Small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, some ended up on their backs, wriggling their tiny flippers helplessly as they tried to get back on track. But the conservationists did not interfere, as they wanted […]

Indonesia police shoot dead two militants linked to Philippines church bombing

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Two Indonesian militants linked to a 2019 church blast in the Philippines have been shot dead by police, authorities said Wednesday, as officers arrested scores of pro-Islamic State radicals. The shootings came as Indonesia’s counter-terrorism squad, Densus 88, raided a hideout of extremist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) in Sulawesi island’s Makassar city, they said. Two suspects were gunned down when they “resisted arrest” and attacked officers, police said, adding that […]