Indonesians pray outdoors after quake destroys town

Hundreds of Indonesians prayed out in the open next to rice paddies and in the streets of the town of Cianjur, about 75km south of the capital Jakarta, yesterday, after an earthquake flattened their town in western Java and left 310 of their community dead. Hundreds of aftershocks have rattled the mountainous region, where grieving and traumatised residents are sheltering in tents, awaiting supplies of food, water, and medicines that have been slowed by heavy rains and landslides. Rescue teams yesterday continued efforts to clear mud and debris and pull out any victims. Over 20 people remain missing, but hopes of finding them alive are slim, the disaster mitigation agency said.