Caritas Australia stands in solidarity with the people of West Java in Indonesia after the devastating magnitude-5.6 earthquake which has killed at least 162 people, many of them children, and left hundreds more injured.

The earthquake hit the town of Cianjur in West Java, about 75 kilometres south-east of the capital, Jakarta. Many of the deaths were of public school students who had finished their classes and were taking extra lessons at the Islamic schools. 

More than 13,000 people have also been displaced, according to the West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.

Hundreds of buildings were damaged, including a boarding school, a hospital and other public facilities. Reports indicate that the hospital had no power after the earthquake, leaving doctors unable to operate on victims.

We pray for all the people impacted by this disaster, especially the families of the childen who were tragically lost.