6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Kills At Least 82 In Indonesia

6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Kills At Least 82 In Indonesia

Aug. 6, 2018, 6:22 a.m.

A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia Sunday evening local time. At least 82 people have been killed, the Associated Press reported.

The earthquake was centered in a similar spot as a deadly quake one week ago. A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, killing at least 82 people and shaking neighboring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen.

The latest quake, which triggered a brief tsunami warning, damaged buildings as far away as Denpasar on Bali, including a department store and the airport terminal, where ceiling panels were shaken loose, authorities said.

Video showed screaming people running in panic from houses in a Bali neighborhood and vehicles rocking. On Lombok, soldiers and other rescuers carried injured people on stretchers and carpets to an evacuation center.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the death toll had risen 82 with hundreds others were injured. Earlier officials said at least 39 people had died.

A total of 65 of the deaths were in North Lombok district, nine in West Lombok district, four in the provincial capital Mataram and two each in Central Lombok and East Lombok districts, Nugroho said.

Thousands of houses were damaged, and most of the dead victims were hit by collapsed houses, Nugroho said.

The quake, recorded at magnitude 6.9 by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck at 6:46 p.m. Sunday evening local time in the northern part of Lombok. Strong aftershocks ranging from 5.4- to 4.3-magnitude followed the main quake, the USGS said.

"I was watching TV when I felt a big shake," said Harian, a Lombok woman who uses one name. "The lamp was shaking, and people were shouting 'Get out.' I ran out into the dark because the power cut off."

A tsunami warning was lifted after waves just 6 inches high were recorded in three villages, said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

The quake was felt strongly across Lombok and Bali and had damaged houses on both islands, Nugroho said.

Frightened people poured out of their homes to move to higher ground, particularly in North Lombok and Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province, said Iwan Asmara, a Lombok disaster official.

Indonesian soldiers tend to a woman injured in the earthquake at a makeshift hospital in Lombok, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018. A strong earthquake struck Indonesia's popular tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, triggering a tsunami warning, one week after another quake in the same area killed more than a dozen people.

earthquake indonesia.jpg

Photo: Courtesy CNN

Indonesian soldiers tend to a woman injured in the earthquake at a makeshift hospital in Lombok, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018. A strong earthquake struck Indonesia's popular tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, triggering a tsunami warning, one week after another quake in the same area killed more than a dozen people.

The Bali and Lombok airports continued operating Sunday night, according to the director general of civil aviation. There had been a half-hour evacuation at the Lombok airport following the quake because the electricity went off. TV showed crying women consoling each other outside Lombok's airport.

The island was already reeling from a magnitude 6.4 quake on July 29, which killed 16 people.

Like Bali, Lombok is known for pristine beaches and mountains. Hotels and other buildings in both locations are not allowed to exceed the height of coconut trees.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.Courtesy: The Weather Channel

Courtesy: The Guardian

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