Latest Lombok quakes claim at least 10 lives
MATARAM, INDONESIA: At least 10 people were killed in a string of powerful quakes that rocked the Indonesian island Lombok, the authorities said yesterday, in a fresh blow weeks after earlier tremors left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.
The latest quakes struck on Sunday, with the first measuring 6.3 before midday. It triggered landslides and parts of Lombok suffered blackouts.
It was followed nearly 12 hours later by a 6.9-magnitude quake and a string of powerful aftershocks.
The island was already reeling from two quakes on July 29 and August 5 that killed nearly 500 people.
Ten people were killed in the stronger quake on Sunday, mostly by falling debris, said the national disaster agency.
Two more Lombok residents died of heart attacks after the morning quake, while some two dozen people were injured and many buildings were damaged, the agency said.
Most people caught in the latest tremor had been outside their homes or at shelters when it struck, which kept casualties low, said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
"The trauma because of the earlier quake on Sunday (morning) made people prefer to stay outside," he added.
Aid agencies vowed to boost humanitarian assistance as residents struggled in makeshift displacement camps.
Videos from an evacuation camp in Lombok showed children and adults taking cover inside makeshift tents.
"I am too scared to stay at my house because it is damaged," said resident Saruniwati, who goes by one name.
"I've been here since the quake (earlier this month). I went home two days ago and now I'm back here again." - AFP
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