10 People Die in Another Powerful Quake in Lombok on Sunday
Jakarta. At least 10 people have died and 24 were injured in yet another powerful earthquake that struck Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday evening (19/08).
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in a press release on Monday that hundreds of homes have been also destroyed in the magnitude-6.9 earthquake.
"This is very temporary data. A total loss of power has disrupted communications and data collection," the agency said, adding that many roads are also obstructed due to landslides and that this further complicates efforts to gather information and provide assistance.
Members of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), assisted by the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and volunteers, have been deployed to the affected areas.
BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said current supplies are enough for the expected wave of new refugees.
"Moreover, we expect more help to arrive," he said.
At least six tremors with a magnitude above 5 on the Richter scale shook the region on Sunday afternoon before the magnitude-6.9 quake in the evening, which was also felt in nearby Bali.
Diamba, a French tourist staying at a resort on Bali's east coast, said by text message that everyone in the hotel ran out of their rooms in terror after the tremor.
Lombok has been rocked by a series of earthquakes and aftershocks since July 29, including a magnitude-6.9 tremor on Aug. 5.
More than 430 people have died and the island has suffered damage of more than Rp 5 trillion ($342 million) in the Aug. 5 earthquake, the authorities said last week.
Around 350,000 people have fled their homes after that quake to shelter in government-provided tents or makeshift structures in open fields. Authorities said aid was slow getting to some of the hardest-hit areas as they are remote.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Tags: Keywords: