"God's Gift Amid the Earthquake" Children Born in Indonesian Earthquake Shelter

Pregnant Woman Gives Birth to Healthy Daughter... Governor Also Names Her
Over 1,000 Rescuers, Excavators, and Detection Dogs Deployed for Rescue Effort

Three newborns lie in a temporary hospital set up in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A newborn baby has brought hope to displaced residents at an earthquake shelter after an earthquake struck Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, killing about 300 people and leaving over 60,000 homeless.

According to local media such as Detik News on the 25th (local time), Dwi (38), who was heavily pregnant on the 21st when the earthquake occurred, hurriedly evacuated her home. Fortunately, she was unharmed, but her house was completely destroyed. She moved to a shelter tent with her husband. The next day, labor pains began. She immediately went to a local health center and, with the help of midwives, gave birth to a healthy daughter. Dwi is also in good health.

Upon hearing this news, Ridwan Kamil, Governor of West Java, visited Dwi to congratulate her and, at her request to name the baby, gave her the name Kempita Shalia Kamil. Governor Ridwan explained on his Instagram that since the baby was born during the earthquake, he named her Kempita after the Indonesian word for earthquake, gempa. He also mentioned that besides Kempita, two other children were born in the shelter, saying, "God has granted the grace of a child’s birth after the trial in which many people died."

Local media reported that the birth of the baby is a gift and is giving hope to many displaced people in the shelter. The Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) announced that as of 5 p.m. on the 24th, the death toll from the earthquake rose by one to 272 compared to 24 hours earlier, with about two-thirds of the total deaths being children. Additionally, 39 people are missing and 2,046 injured. More than 56,000 houses were damaged, and 62,545 people are living in shelters. Thirty-one schools and 171 public facilities were destroyed.

Authorities are conducting search operations with over 1,000 rescue workers, excavators, and detection dogs. They are especially focusing on searching the Cijendil village, which was completely buried by a landslide.