Muslim men attend Friday prayers at a volleyball field as their nearest mosque was damaged following Monday's earthquake in Cianjur, West Java province, Indonesia, Nov 25, 2022.CIANJUR, Indonesia — Hundreds of Indonesians prayed out in the open next to rice paddies and in the streets on Friday , after an earthquake flattened their town in western Java and left nearly 300 of their community dead.
"After the disaster, we are still afraid. So we had to move here in this volleyball court, not in a mosque. I asked the congregation to stay on guard because disaster might strike again," Muhamad, 52, said. Food vendor Asep Hidayat, who like many others lost his house in the quake, said he was thankful to be able to join in the prayers, even if not in a mosque.[[nid:607183]]Rescue teams on Friday continued efforts to clear mud and debris and pull out any victims. About 40 people remain missing, but hopes of finding them alive are slim, the disaster mitigation agency said.