Death toll from M7.0 Lombok quake hits 91

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01:25

At least 91 people were killed, and over two hundred others injured after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the northern coast of Indonesia's Lombok island on Sunday, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported on Monday, adding that the death toll could rise further.

The national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said some of the worst affected areas in the north of the island have not been reached by rescuers yet, and there is “massive” damage in north Lombok from the earthquake.

Nugroho told a news conference that the rescue efforts are still ongoing and there were no foreigners among the victims so far.

The tremor occurred at 18:46 p.m. local time (1146 GMT) at a depth of 10.5 km, just a week after a quake killed at least 17 people on the holiday island.

A policeman examines debris that fell and crushed parked motorbikes following a strong earthquake on nearby Lombok island, at a shopping center in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, August 5, 2018. /Reuters Photo

The neighboring island of Bali, one of Southeast Asia's leading tourist destinations, also felt the tremor. People could be heard screaming as locals and tourists ran onto the road.

Thousands of buildings were damaged, electricity was knocked out in several parts of the city, and patients were evacuated from the main hospital, said witnesses and officials.

Patients are evacuated outside to the Mataram City hospital parking lot after a strong earthquake in Mataram, Lombok island, Indonesia August 5, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Nugroho said an initial tsunami warning which was later canceled had sparked terror as residents scrambled to reach safer ground.

"People were panicking ... especially because of the early tsunami warning," he said.

According to the consulate general of China in Denpasar, there are still about 200 Chinese tourists in Lombok as of Monday morning, and the consulate has got in touch with 37 of them, including eight from Hong Kong. They are all in good conditions.

Motorcycles are seen on the ground of a mall after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked neighboring Lombok island in Bali's capital Denpasar, Indonesia, August 5, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

The consulate is communicating with local authorities, rushing them to accelerate the rescue work, and ensure the safety of all Chinese citizens.

The consulate also said that all of the Chinese tourists are estimated to be evacuated soon.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it lies on vulnerable quake-affected areas called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

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