Deadly earthquake strikes Indonesia's Lombok island
July 29, 2018
At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured on Sunday when a shallow 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's Lombok island, officials said.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 6:47 am local time (22:47 UTC Saturday) at a depth of seven kilometers (four miles).
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The epicenter was about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Mataram, away from the main tourist spots on the island. The earthquake was also felt on the nearby resort island of Bali.
East Lombok was worst hit with at least 10 deaths, including a tourist from Malaysia, said an official from Indonesia's disaster agency. He said at least 162 people were injured, including 67 who were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Mount Rinjani volcano had also been closed off due to landslides.
Nearly 50 aftershocks were felt. No tsunami warning was issued.
Indonesia is located on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and regularly experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity.
In 2004, a devastating magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of the western Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered tsunamis. Some 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean were killed, including 168,000 in Indonesia.
bik,cw/bw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)