Tag: Indonesia

Erupting Indonesian volcano spews ash, lava

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted Thursday as fiery red molten lava streamed down from the crater and it belched clouds of grey ash 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the sky. Authorities did not raise the rumbling volcano’s alert status after the early-morning eruption, but they advised commercial planes to take caution in the area. But any activity at Merapi raises concern and local residents were […]

Indonesia criticizes US study that questioned why it has no coronavirus cases

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has criticized a US study questioning why the world’s fourth most populous nation had not yet recorded a case of coronavirus, calling the findings an insult and insisting it was on high alert. The virus has killed more than 1,100 people in China and spread to dozens of countries around the world — but the Southeast Asian nation of more than 260 million has not reported a confirmed case […]

African swine fever kills hundreds of pigs in Bali

BALI, Indonesia (AFP) — Hundreds of pigs have died from African swine fever in Bali, authorities said Wednesday, marking the Indonesian holiday island’s first recorded outbreak and after the virus claimed some 30,000 hogs in Sumatra. Ida Bagus Wisnuardhana, Bali’s agriculture and food security agency chief, said nearly 900 pigs succumbed to swine fever since mid-December. “The results are positive for African swine fever,” Ida told reporters, referring to tests performed on the dead animals. […]

Indonesian women arrested for spreading coronavirus hoax

BALIKPAPAN, Indonesia (AFP) — Two Indonesian women who allegedly posted misinformation online about the deadly coronavirus have been arrested, police said, as they warned dozens of hoaxes were being rapidly shared by the country’s millions of internet users. The pair were taken into custody in Balikpapan, a city on Borneo island, in the past few days after separately posting rumors on their social media accounts that a local resident was infected and undergoing treatment. Indonesia […]

Ten missing after migrant boat capsizes off Indonesia

PEKANBARU, Indonesia (AFP) — Ten people were missing after a boat carrying 20 migrant workers capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, a search and rescue official said Thursday. The wooden vessel, which was bound for neighboring Malaysia, began taking on water when it was inundated by high waves on Tuesday evening. “There were 20 people on board — 10 of them were rescued while 10 others are still missing,” local search and rescue […]

Seven killed, three missing in Indonesia bridge collapse

BENGKULU, Indonesia (AFP) — Seven people drowned and three others are missing after a bridge collapsed on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, the disaster agency said Monday. Some 30 people, mostly students, were on the bridge Sunday afternoon in the town of Kaur when the newly built crossing suddenly collapsed, hurtling some teens into the water below while others clutched on to the railing. The water level in the river below the bridge was higher than usual […]

Strong 6.0 quake hits Indonesia’s Papua

  A strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said. There was no tsunami warning accompanying the quake which struck inland 158 kilometres (98 miles) from the provincial capital Jayapura at a shallow depth of almost 34 kilometers, USGS said. The Southeast Asian archipelago is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on […]

Flood-hit Jakarta residents sue over deadly disaster

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Jakarta’s governor has been hit with a lawsuit filed by residents of the sprawling city after torrential rain sparked floods and landslides that killed dozens and left thousands homeless, a lawyer said Tuesday. More than 200 flood victims are seeking a total of 43 billion rupiahs ($3 million) in compensation in the class action, which was filed Monday in Jakarta district court. The suit claims Governor Anies Baswedan was responsible for […]

Indonesia deploys fighter jets, warships to patrol islands near disputed South China Sea

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has deployed fighter jets and warships to patrol islands near the disputed South China Sea, the military said Wednesday, escalating tensions with Beijing after a diplomatic spat over “trespassing” Chinese vessels. President Joko Widodo also headed Wednesday to the fishing-rich waters around the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China despite competing claims from other Southeast Asian nations including Vietnam, the […]

6.2 magnitude earthquake strikes in Indonesia’s northwest

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) — A strong earthquake jolted Indonesia’s northwest on Tuesday, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The 6.2 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) just off the coast of Simeulue island, west of Sumatra, according to the US Geological Survey. Indonesia’s weather and geophysics bureau said there was no tsunami threat. People panicked and ran outside their […]

Indonesia flood rescuers hunt for missing after 43 killed

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian rescuers mounted a desperate search Friday for those missing after flash floods and landslides sparked by torrential rains killed at least 43 people across the Jakarta region, leaving whole districts underwater and thousands homeless. Around a dozen people were still unaccounted for after record rains that started on New Year’s Eve pounded the capital and left swathes of the megalopolis, home to some 30 million, a wasteland of overturned cars […]

Indonesia floods leave two dozen dead, several missing: official

    JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s disaster agency warned Thursday of more deaths after torrential rains pounded the Jakarta region, triggering floods and landslides that killed at least 23 and left vast swaths of the megalopolis underwater. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters in the area, home to some 30 million, with scores of homes damaged. Images from across the region showed waterlogged homes and cars covered in muddy […]