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Indonesia

Indonesia

Territory: 1,904,569 km²

Population: 237.6 million

Earthquake threat in Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest island state in the world and with nearly 240 million inhabitants it is furthermore the fourth most populous state. Due to its location Indonesia is often hit by earthquakes and tsunamis. The largest earthquake in recent history of Southeast Asia was the earthquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26th 2004. In Indonesia more than 170,000 people were killed by the following tsunami.

Earthquake on Java

On May 27th 2006, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Java. The earthquake occurred beneath the seabed in the Indian Ocean. Since the island of Java is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is often affected by smaller earthquakes and tectonic activity. Recent estimates counted 6,234 dead and 36,299 injured people. Furthermore, 135,000 homes were destroyed, and an estimated 1.5 million people became homeless. Most affected from the earthquake was the district Bantul, located in the south of the city of Yogyakarta. There alone, 3,949 died and over 27,000 were injured.

DEMIRA in Indonesia

The DEMIRA Emergency Response Unit (ERU) deployed to an area southwest of Yogyakarta. The ERU team set up a field hospital and provided first aid assistance to earthquake victims in the Bantul district, which had been completely destroyed. The ERU also supported overcrowded hospitals by providing care to their patients.