Key Points
- A young boy has been saved after surviving three days trapped in earthquake rubble.
- Emergency services try to locate survivors missing or trapped amid a series of aftershocks.
- The devastating earthquake has killed at least 271 people. Hundreds are injured.
Recovery services in the earthquake-hit Indonesian town of Cianjur were on day three of search operations when they located a conscious five-year-old boy trapped in the rubble.
In a video posted by a local fire department, the young boy, Azka, appeared calm as he was lifted by local services to safety.
He was trapped without help for three days at this point.
"Only two people survived (besides him), his grandfather and his younger brother," said Azka’s cousin, Salman Alfarisi, sitting next to the five-year-old and holding his hand.
Mr Alfarisi also added that Azka's mother did not survive the earthquake.
"There were five people in the house, three survived and two were dead. They were found today," he said.
In the video, the pair were in a makeshift medical tent where Azka was receiving medical treatment.
Rescue operations remain active
Azka is among the survivors of a recent devastating earthquake that toppled buildings and triggered landslides on Indonesia's main island of West Java.
The 5.6 magnitude earthquake killed at least 271 people, including many children. Forty remain missing and hundreds of people have been injured.
Indonesians are reeling after Monday's earthquake, which struck at a shallow depth of 10km, followed by dozens of aftershocks. Source: EPA / ADI WEDA/EPA
The earthquake caused significant damage to Cianjur, a town 75 kilometers away from the capital Jakarta. Aftershocks could be felt for days after the initial earthquake.
Officials also confirmed at least one village in the province was buried under a landslide that followed the earthquake.
Around 6,000 rescuers were deployed to conduct rescue operations on the ground, some equipped with heavy machinery to clear landslides.
Cianjur is situated in a hilly area where many houses are built with a mixture of mud and concrete. Source: EPA / ADI WEDA/EPA
Indonesia often experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide.
The country also records frequent earthquakes offshore, with tremors reportedly stronger than the ones that hit West Java.
