The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Java island early this week rose to 310 after rescuers found more bodies under landslides, an official said. At least 24 people remain missing. In devastated towns in western Java, residents…
Giant dome collapses in Indonesian mosque fire
The large dome of a grand mosque in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has collapsed after a major fire, without causing any casualties. Dramatic footage obtained by AFP showed a thick column of grey smoke engulfing the dome while the flames destroyed…
17 children among the 125 dead in Indonesian football stampede
Seventeen children were among at least 125 people killed in a football stampede in Indonesia at the weekend, officials said, as pressure builds on the Southeast Asian nation to explain how one of the world’s worst stadium disasters unfolded. Violence…
Death toll from Indonesia earthquake rises to 11 with 400 injured
Rescuers on Indonesia's Sumatra island retrieved more bodies on Sunday, 27 February from a strong earthquake two days ago, raising the death toll to 11 while another 400 were injured and thousands displaced. The body of the latest victim was…
Indonesia: Fire in West Papua nightclub leaves 19 dead
A fire at a nightclub in Indonesia’s West Papua province have left at least 19 people dead. The fire followed a brawl in which one person was killed, but the other victims were trapped by the fire that broke out…
Indonesia volcano kills 14 with many more missing
Rescuers were searching for survivors on Sunday, 5 December on the slopes of the highest volcano on Indonesia’s island of Java after it was rocked by an eruption that killed at least 14 people, as smouldering debris and thick mud…
Fire in overcrowded Indonesian prison kills 41
A fire roared through an overcrowded Indonesian prison block in the early hours of Wednesday, 8 September when most inmates were asleep, killing 41 people and injuring dozens of others, an official said. The fire in Banten province broke out between 1am and…
Indonesia warns early rainy season may trigger more natural disasters
Indonesia may experience more natural disasters in the coming months as the country’s annual rainy season is expected to start earlier and be more severe this year, the country’s meteorological agency, BMKG, said on Thursday (26 August). Indonesia’s rainy season…
Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano erupts again
Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, July 28, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said. ‘The volcanic material…
Death toll in Indonesian power plant landslide rises to 10
The death toll from a landslide at a hydroelectric dam project on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has risen to 10, an official said on Thursday (6 May), as the authorities called off a week-long search for victims. A landslide triggered by…
With climate change supercharging cyclones, experts call for enhanced preparedness
Despite obvious signs that a powerful cyclone was brewing, life carried on as usual in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara last month. Aside from grounding ships and airplanes from travelling in the rough weather, hardly any preparation was…
Rescuers race to find dozens missing after deadly floods kill at least 120 people in Indonesia and Timor-Leste
Rescuers were searching for dozens of people still missing on Tuesday (20 April) after floods and landslides swept away villages in Indonesia and East Timor, killing at least 120 people and leaving thousands more homeless. Torrential rains from Tropical Cyclone…
Indonesia is hit by cyclones and then an earthquake on Saturday
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday (11 April) ordered swift rescue and relief efforts after eight people died in an earthquake that hit off southern Java island. Three others were badly injured in Saturday's magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180…
27 die as Indonesian school bus plunges into gorge
A bus carrying schoolchildren and some parents returning from an excursion plunged into a ravine on the Indonesian island of Java on Wednesday night (10 March), killing 27 people, the country's transportation ministry says. Indonesia's search and rescue agency said…
Rescue operations in Indonesia, with 81 known deaths, are being hampered by torrential rains after Friday’s earthquake
It was unclear how many people – dead or alive – could still be under the mountains of debris in the aftermath of Friday’s 6.2-magnitude earthquake, as scores of rescuers combed through the destruction, filling body bags with corpses. The…
Budget cuts because of COVID-19 forces Indonesia to scale back forest fire protection
Budget cuts in Indonesia have required the scaling back of fire protection measures for some of the world’s most important tropical forests ahead of a worsening fire season, because of budget cuts due to the coronavirus, the environment ministry said.…
Indonesia braces for peak dry season after massive 2019 forest fires
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – The government seeks to double down on peatland fire prevention and law enforcement following the massive fires that ravaged much of Indonesia’s forests last year. As we enter the dry season, Environment and Forestry…
Indonesia commences cloud seeding to keep forest fires at bay
Indonesia has started cloud seeding to induce rain as the archipelago moves to head off annual forest fires blamed for blanketing swathes of Southeast Asia in toxic haze. Last year’s fires were the worst since 2015 due to dry weather,…
Indonesian floods kill five
Five people were killed, three more are missing and thousands are unable to return to their waterlogged homes after floods submerged parts of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, officials said Wednesday (Feb 26). The mud inundated the presidential palace, a major hospital…
Flash flood kills eight students in Indonesia
At least eight students were killed and five more missing when a flash flood hit the Sleman regency of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where junior high school students were on a camping trip. Two dozen students from the group of 249 scouts were…
Indonesian peat fires may burn forever
The toxic haze that engulfed Southeast Asia for months throughout the second half of 2019 was not the first time air pollution has scarred the region. And it might not be the last, if Indonesia’s pulp industry does not undertake…
20 hikers rescued from Indonesia’s Mount Raung after wildfires
On Saturday (Oct 5) seven Singaporeans and 13 other climbers were rescued from Mount Raung in Indonesia after they were trapped overnight by wildfires. The hikers became trapped after wildfires broke out in the area around 6pm Indonesia time on…