Indonesia earthquake: At least 3 dead, 12 injured on tourist island Lombok

A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake damaged the tourist island Lombok leaving 3 dead, 12 injured on Sunday, damaging many buildings, authorities said.

The earthquake came early morning when people were sleeping. Around 40 people were injured and many fled into open fields away from collapsed buildings.

“We jumped out of our beds to avoid anything falling on our heads,” said Jean-Paul Volckaert who was woken by the quake while sleeping in the Puncak Hotel near Senggigi on Lombok.

“I’ve been walking around but so far there is no damage. We were very surprised as the water in the pools was swaying like a wild sea. There were waves in the pools but only for 20 to 30 seconds,” he told Reuters via telephone.

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“The people in the villages may have damages. It’s still early morning here.”

The quake was centered 50 km northeast of the city of Mataram on the northern part of Lombok island, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

A Malaysian tourist who visited the popular trekking destination of Mount Rinjani on Lombok was also killed, according to East Lombok police M Eka Fathurrahman.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the disaster mitigation agency spokesman, posted on Twitter pictures of houses with collapsed roofs and walls.

“People are gathering on the streets and empty fields to avoid collapsing buildings,” he said.

“The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics.”

Around 66 quakes were recorded after the initial 6.4 magnitude tremor, with the largest aftershock recorded at 5.7 magnitudes, said the disaster mitigation agency.

The major quake was felt on the neighbouring island of Bali, Indonesia’s top tourist destination.

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