The material loss of the people and government of Bengkulu Utara regency caused by the 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale earthquake which rocked Bengkulu reached Rp1,5 trillion, ANTARA reported. "I think the loss had reached Rp1,5 trillion, but this is only a rough estimated, as verification has yet to be conducted," Bengkulu Utara regency head Imron Rosyadi said when accompanying House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono and entourage during an inspection of a state elementary school class under a tent in Lais subdistrict, Bengkulu Utara, on Tuesday. According to Imron, the quake which occurred on Wednesday evening had caused serious damage on many homes, government buildings, and public facilities. The total number of homes damaged by the tremor had reached 19.054, comprising 6.415 totally destroyed, 10.869 heavily damaged, and 1.770 slightly damaged. The quake, he said, has also caused damage to healthcare facilities. Besides 14 community health centers (Puskesmas) were totally destroyed, and 14 lightly damaged.
