The powerful earthquake that struck Indonesia on Tuesday left 162 people dead and many injured which is such painful news (“Indonesia to give compensation to earthquake victims: President,” Nov.21, Gulf Today website).

According to the report, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday the government would hand out compensation to victims and their families after an earthquake struck the country’s most populous province, killing 162.

Jokowi, as the president is known, visited the epicentre of the quake, the town of Cianjur in West Java province, and ordered rescue teams to prioritise saving people trapped under rubble and to urgently access areas blocked off by landslides. Rescuers on Tuesday searched for survivors buried under rubble after the earthquake left more feared trapped in collapsed buildings.

An earthquake is a natural disaster which is beyond the limitations of humans to control. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves economic damage in its wake. But to look after people in times of hardship the government has the responsibility to provide relief to the victims of a natural disaster.  I firmly believe that the Indonesian government will not leave a single stone unturned to provide financial and moral support to the injured people and to the families of people who died in the Indonesian earthquake. I would like to offer my deep sorrow and pray for the families of departed souls that Almighty Allah gives them strength to bear the loss of their beloved ones.

Kashif Kazi,
By email