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The earthquake on Saturday 6.4 was followed by more than 120 aftershocks, the highest of magnitude 5.7, according to the Indonesian Geophysical and Meteorological Agency. The local government decreed the state of emergency for three days.
More than 200 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed erected tents. AFP
At least 14 people were killed and hundreds wounded on Sunday as a result of a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on the tourist island of Lombok in the south-east from Indonesia, according to local authorities. The powerful jolt triggered scenes of panic between locals and visitors, who fled their homes or rushed out of the hotels. There are five children among the deceased.
The earthquake, with epicenter of little depth, was recorded at 6:47 am local time (22H47 GMT on Saturday). It was followed by more than 120 aftershocks, the strongest of magnitude 5.7, according to the Indonesian Agency of Geophysics and Meteorology. The local government decreed the state of emergency for three days. Read also: An earthquake of magnitude 6 is recorded in the sea of Indonesia
"According to the information we have , there are 14 dead, 162 wounded and hundreds of homes damaged, "said a spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, in a statement. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said one of its citizens died and six others were injured as a result of this earthquake.
"They were all at the foot of Mount Rinjani at the time of the earthquake". The many aftershocks have contributed to panic in some places, such as in Sembalun, in the east of the island, according to an AFP reporter. More than 200 people whose homes were damaged or destroyed erected tents. Some refused to return home lest the aftershocks lead to the collapse of their homes. The roof of a local clinic sank and the walls cracked. Some locals told AFP that they needed shelter and food.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 50 kilometers northeast of the main city of Lombok, Mataram. This island is very popular with tourists and is located a hundred kilometers from Bali, paradise and famous. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the island authorities voluntarily closed the popular trails of Mount Rinjani due to landslides.
Two Spanish tourists and a local guide who were walking on the volcano during the earthquake were slightly injured, the owner of a guest house in the area told AFP. "They had stones falling on them during the earthquake," said Karyadi, who, like many Indonesians, only has one name. "Our guests were in shock."
"The earthquake was very strong, everyone panicked at home, we missed it," said AFP Zulfikli, a resident of northern Lombok. "All my neighbors have also left and the electricity has been cut off," he added. At the Katamaran Hotel on Senggigi Beach, some 30 guests rushed into the lobby before returning to their room half an hour later.
"They calmed down and went back to their room when we explained that the earthquake had not triggered the tsunami. , told AFP Nyoman Suwarningsih, hotel receptionist. The earthquake also affected the small islands of Gili, near Lombok, another popular tourist destination.
No tsunami warnings were issued, said spokesman for the Indonesian Agency of Geophysics and Meteorology Hary Tirto Djatmiko. The Indonesian archipelago, made up of 17,000 islands and islets, is located in the area called the Pacific Ring of Fire because of its intense seismic activity.
There are many tremors in the country, most of them harmless, but the region is following with attention Seismic activity due to tsunami risk. In 2004, a tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.3 earthquake on the coast of Sumatra, in western Indonesia, caused 220,000 deaths in several countries of the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia. You may be interested in: The most powerful earthquakes of the last three decades
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