Indonesia Earthquake: At Least 91 Killed And Hundreds Injured After An Earthquake Of Magnitude 7.0 Hit Lombok
- Strong earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit an Indonesian island Lombok on Sunday evening.
- Authorities reported at least 91 people died and over 210 people injured by Monday morning.
- The Indonesian meteorological agency issued the tsunami warning immediately after the temblor, however, they later lifted it.
- Indonesian authorities said the death toll might rise as the rescue operations are being carried out in several devastated area.
At least 91 died and hundreds more injured after a strong earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit Lombok, a popular tourist destination in Indonesia.
A BNPB spokesperson confirmed local media that the death toll had risen to 91 by Monday morning and said over 209 people were severely injured. The Guardian confirmed all dead in the tremor are Indonesian.
The temblor struck shortly after 6:45 (local) on Sunday evening which damaged buildings 150 kilometers away in Bali. Authorities said the quake was shallow, having an epicenter only 10 km underground, and was 18 kilometers northwest of East Lombok.
The Indonesian authorities further said over 130 aftershocks were recorded after the Sunday evening strike.
Indonesia's Meteorology and Climatology Agency had issued a tsunami warning soon after the quake, however, they later lifted the warning at 8:30 pm local time.
Indonesia's disaster agency spokesperson, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said they were focused on the rescue operation and getting basic needs met for those affected. He said,
Current urgent needs are medical personnel, clean water, food, blankets, mats, tents, fast food, trauma healing services and basic need.
Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, who is currently in Lombok for a counter-terrorism meeting told the quake was "powerful enough to put us on the floor."
He further said,
We were up on the 12th floor, the lights went out and we were able to evacuate. I think we were pretty lucky in the end.
On the other hand, Indonesian President Joko Widodo took to his Twitter saying "the brothers are not alone facing this ordeal."
Kepada masyarakat Lombok dan sekitarnya, semoga tetap tenang. Saudara-saudara tidak sendirian menghadapi cobaan ini. Kami bersama Anda semua. Saya terus memantau semua bantuan dan penanganan dampak bencana gempa di Lombok.
Semoga Allah SWT senantiasa melindungi kita. Aamiin pic.twitter.com/p89yjlljdH
— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) August 6, 2018
Meanwhile, model Chrissy Teigen who is in Bali with her husband John Legend and their two children said they were safe in a Twitter post.
another aftershock just now. probably the 8th one we have felt since the big one last night. we are safe, up high and nothing around us. thinking about everyone around us and in Lombok especially.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) August 6, 2018
Indonesia is one of the most earthquake-prone nations on Earth which suffers numbers of shocks every year. In 2014, a tsunami triggered by a 9.3 magnitude undersea tremor off the coast of Sumatra killed 168,000 people in Indonesia alone; killed 220,000 people overall.
