Earthquake claims 91 lives in Indonesia, 200 injured

Jakarta: At least 91 people were killed and over 200 others injured as a powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on Richter scale rocked Indonesian island of Lombok, a government official said on Monday.

Most of the victims were on the northern side of Lombok, near the epicenter of the 6.9 magnitude quake that hit early Sunday evening. Two people died on the neighbouring island of Bali, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

“Most of the victims were hit by debris and falling blocks of concrete,” he said.

The quake triggered panic in the island and nearby Bali island as well as East Java province and people rushed out of homes and buildings, said Mr Purwo.

Rescue efforts were hampered overnight by power outages, broken bridges and a lack of phone reception in some areas, making it difficult for the agency to immediately assess the full extent of the damage.

The tremblor was also felt strongly in nearby Bali Island and East Java province, and some damages were found in the island, including a mall shopping center and buildings, added Mr Sutopo.

He said the death toll was expected to rise further as more data became available.

A week ago, on July 29, Lombok Island was struck by a 6.4 magnitude quake, leaving 17 people dead, 365 of others injured and 8,871 people displaced as the jolts destroyed 14,940 houses, the disaster agency said in a statement.

The quake also cut off escape routes in a mountain, a favorite tourist destination, trapping over 1,000 foreign and domestic tourists, fortunately all of them were rescued, the statement added. (UNI)