20 NUS students caught in Lombok quake

A group of National University of Singapore (NUS) students were watching the sunrise on a beach in Lombok when they suddenly felt the earth move.

They realised it was an earthquake only when residents told them to get away from the beach.

Student leader Mohammad Azfar Saari, 23, told The New Paper yesterday: "There was this rumbling noise. The locals ran up and advised us to move inland in case of any tsunami."

At least 17 people, including a Malaysian woman, were killed in the 6.4-magnitude quake that struck the Indonesian island at 6.47am on Sunday.

The group of 20 from the NUS Muslim Society, comprising seven men and 13 women, were in Labuan Pandan on Lombok for an overseas community involvement programme.

Mr Mohamad Tahar Jumaat, 50, who is chaperoning the students, said it was fortunate that none of them was hurt.

Mr Tahar, who was in a house when the quake hit, told TNP: "The tremors came suddenly, and the house started to jolt and rattle left and right.

"I reckon that it lasted more than 10 seconds. After I ran out of the house with the host and my wife, we could see electricity poles swaying."

The director of IUVA Global, the facilitator for the trip, said of the students: "They were quite shaken, but now they are much more relaxed and positive."

A student, Ms Nadiah Afiqah Ismail, 22, said: "It was confusing. I had never experienced an earthquake so we were clueless. It was hard to process what was going on, so we just did as we were told."

The programme, which was scheduled to run from July 23 to Aug 5, has been cut short.

An NUS spokesman told TNP: "As a precautionary measure, arrangements have been made for the students to return to Singapore (today).

"We are relieved and thankful that our students in Lombok are all safe and well."

After the first impact on Sunday, Mr Tahar decided to take the group to an open area in Sembalun, a village near Mount Rinjani in north-east Lombok.

He said his decision to undertake the 90-minute bus journey from Labuan Pandan was based on his experience in disaster relief work.

He said: "Some may find it strange, but this is the place to go because many relief agencies are here. Food and shelter are readily available.

"I did not take them to the airport because the road there would be congested and chaotic.

"At that point, they also had not secured a return flight.

"We did not check into a hotel because the aftershocks would have been a problem."

DEVASTATION

On their journey, the group encountered scenes of devastation.

Ms Nadiah said: "I saw that roofs of houses had collapsed. We had to cross a slightly damaged bridge on foot because any extra weight could have caused further structural damage."

It was only hours after news of the quake had reached Singapore that the students managed to contact their families.

Mr Azfar said: "There was no connection in Labuan Pandan.

"Later, my sister asked me if the earthquake had really happened. I confirmed it and told her that my team and I were safe."

The group spent the night in Sembalun camping in tents in an open area chosen by Mr Tahar.

In videos posted on Instagram, the group could be heard singing Sam Smith's Lay Me Down and learning to start a fire.

Ms Nadiah said: "Instead of dwelling on the incident, we chose to distract ourselves with other means.

"We had to take these steps because our situation was very uncertain."

The group travelled to Lombok International Airport last night and is scheduled to arrive in Singapore this afternoon.