'People Were Just Screaming'

One of the first calls I received was from a cousin in Yogyakarta, who said a 50-year-old cousin of ours and her 21-year-old son had died when they ran out of their house and the front of their neighbour's house fell on them.

I went to what was left of their house and prepared them for burial. It was a very sad moment and we buried them as best we could but I couldn't linger because I was called to the [RSD Penembahan Senopati] hospital in Bantul to help with the flood of injured people.

By the time I got there it was about 10am and the place was already crazy. There were injured people everywhere; most were just screaming for help, bones sticking out, blood pouring from wounds and limbs hanging limply.

The most common injuries were open fractures as a result of being hit by falling masonry. We were completely overwhelmed. We didn't have enough staff to help or enough supplies so we used whatever we could to immobilise people's broken limbs.

We really had to be very imaginative. For example we cut up a lot of cardboard boxes to use as splints. It was non-stop work. As soon as we finished on one person we went straight on to the next.

The problem was that Yogyakarta hospitals are full, so are the ones in Solo, the next nearest city. So we have been having to send people further and further away. We've already received a lot of help; drips, blankets, bandages, infusion kits, rice, instant noodles and so forth. But it's not nearly enough. We need a lot, lot more.