Earthquake of 5.6 magnitude rocks Indonesia's Java island; At least 56 dead, over 700 injured, visuals of destruction surface

Jakarta: A strong, shallow earthquake toppled buildings and collapsed walls on Indonesia's densely populated main island of Java on Monday, killing at least 56 and injuring hundreds as people rushed into the streets, some covered in blood and white debris.

In the morning, a shallow 5.4 magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia's western province of West Java, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake's epicentre was on land in Cianjur, about 75km southeast of Jakarta, and at a depth of 10km.

According to CNA citing several reports, stated that around 700 people were injured in the West Java town.

"The latest data showed that 46 people were killed. Victims kept coming from many areas. Around 700 people were injured," Herman Suherman, the head of the administration in Cianjur, told broadcaster Kompas TV.

He also earlier told broadcaster Metro TV that many of the injured "had fractures from being trapped by the ruins of buildings".

A 5.6- magnitude earthquake rattled the Indonesian capital of Jakarta for several seconds on Monday, the country's weather and geophysics agency (BMKG) said, adding there was no potential for a tsunami.

The epicentre was determined to be at 6.840 degrees south latitude and 107.107 degrees east longitude. Java's largest city is the national capital of Jakarta.

Java is a volcano-dotted island that lies between Sumatra and Bali and is situated at the geographic and economic centre of Indonesia.

Earthquakes occur frequently in this part of the world

Earthquakes occur frequently across the sprawling archipelago nation, but it is uncommon for them to be felt in Jakarta.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people and injured more than 460 in West Sumatra province. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.