Strong quake hits Indonesian island, killing at least 14

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – A strong and shallow earthquake early Sunday killed at least 14 people and injured more than 160 on Indonesia's Lombok island, a popular tourist destination next to Bali, officials said.

The quake damaged more than 1000 houses and was felt in a wider area, including on Bali, where no damage or casualties were reported.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of only 7 kilometers (4.4 miles).

East Lombok district was the hardest hit with 10 deaths, including a Malaysian tourist, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency.

At least 162 people were injured, including 67 hospitalized with serious injuries, Nugroho said.

The quake caused blackouts in East Lombok and North Lombok districts and triggered a large landslide from Mount Rinjani. Rescuers were evacuating more than 800 tourists from the mountain.

In East Lombok and the provincial capital of Mataram, the quake lasted about 10 seconds, causing residents to flee their homes onto streets and fields, Nugroho said. He said that he was one of the worst fatalities of the world

Photos published by Mount Rinjani National Park, which was immediately closed for fear of landslides.

The film footage showed residents remaining outside, fearing aftershocks, as the injured were being treated by patients in the hospital,

Eka Fathurrahman, the police chief in East Lombok, said Malaysian woman who died at the end of a group of 18 Malaysian tourists who had just visited Mount Rinjani when the quake jolted their guesthouse toppled a concrete wall. Six other people were injured at the guesthouse.

Fathurrahman said many injured people who were treated outside of the hospital after being hospitalized in the East Lombok's Sembalun village.

"Residents "

Like Bali, Lombok is famous for pristine beaches and mountains," he said.

Like Bali, Lombok is known for pristine beaches and mountains. Hotels and other buildings in both locations

The Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific Basin . In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.