Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has extended condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo over the deadly earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 160 people.

In a message of condolences sent on November 22, Emomali Rahmon said that Tajikistan has learned with deep sorrow that numerous people lost their lives in the earthquake in the in the West Java province.

Tajik leader extended deep condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives as well as to the friendly and brotherly people and the Government of Indonesia, and wish speedy recovery to the injured.  

Citing US Geological Survey, media reports say the 5.6 magnitude quake struck Cianjur town in West Java, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers on Monday, November 22.


According to Reuters, West Java governor Ridwan Kamil said on Instagram that at least 162 people had been killed and 326 were injured.

The BBC says Mr. Kamil has claimed that a total of 13,000 had been displaced by the disaster, and that more remained “trapped in isolated places.”  He further noted that officials were “under the assumption that the number of injured and deaths will rise with time.” 

Earthquakes are common in Indonesia, which sits on the "ring of fire" area of tectonic activity in the Pacific.  The country has a history of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, with more than 2,000 killed in a 2018 Sulawesi quake.