Sultan sends condolences to Yudhoyono

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday consented to send a message of condolences to Dr Hj Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia following Wednesday's earthquake in West Java.

In the message, His Majesty expressed his sadness at the loss of lives and damage to properties caused by the quake.

His Majesty on behalf of the government and people of Brunei Darussalam sent his sympathy and condolences to Yudhoyono's government and people of Indonesia and the bereaved families of the victims.

Meanwhile dpa reported that United Nations agencies and the Indonesian government were dispatching relief teams Thursday as the death toll from a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck Java island rose to 57, officials said.

Workers used their bare hands and manual tools to search for 42 people buried after the quake sent a torrent of rocks sliding off the hills Wednesday, burying 13 homes in Cikangareng village in the West Java district of Cianjur.

Rescuers managed to uncover four bodies, including those of two children. Heavy equipment could not enter the area.

The West Java disaster relief coordination agency said about 30,000 homes were damaged, about half of them seriously, and more than 13,000 people were displaced. - Borneo Bulletin (4th September 2009)


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