At least 14 dead, 162 injured in Indonesia’s M6.4 earthquake

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The death toll of Indonesia's 6.4-magnitude quake rose to 14 people on Sunday, while 162 others wounded and evacuation for hundreds of foreign and local holiday makers climbing Mount Rinjani has been under way amid fear for landslides, officials said.

The quake struck at 6:47 am local time at a depth of 7.5 km, according to the US Geological Survey.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits southwest of Lelongken in Indonesia, July 29, 2018. /VCG Photo

No tsunami alert has been issued so far, and no casualties among Chinese tourists have yet been reported.

Indonesia is prone to quakes as it lies within the active seismic zone known as "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

“We jumped out of our beds to avoid anything falling on our heads,” said Jean-Paul Volckaert, who was woken by the quake while sleeping in the Puncak Hotel near Senggigi on Lombok.

“I’ve been walking around but so far there is no damage. We were very surprised as the water in the pools was swaying like a wild sea. There were waves in the pools but only for 20 to 30 seconds,” he said via telephone.

Damage is seen following an earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia, July 29, 2018. /VCG Photo

“The people in the villages may have [suffered] damages. It’s still early morning here.”

A Malaysian tourist visiting the popular trekking destination of Mount Rinjani on Lombok was among those killed, according to East Lombok police M. Eka Fathurrahman.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the disaster mitigation agency spokesman, posted on Twitter pictures of houses with collapsed roofs and walls.

“People are gathering on the streets and empty fields to avoid collapsing buildings,” he said.

A collapsed house after an earthquake in Lombok /VCG Photo

“The main focus now is evacuation and rescue. Some of the injured are still being treated at clinics.”

Around 66 quakes were recorded after the initial 6.4-magnitude tremor, with the largest aftershock recorded at a magnitude of 5.7, said the disaster mitigation agency.

The major quake was felt on the neighboring island of Bali, Indonesia’s top tourist destination.

The quake forced authorities to close the Mount Rinjani national park. “Rinjani mountain climbing is closed temporarily because there are indications of landslide around the mountain,” Nugroho said in a statement.

(With inputs from Reuters.)

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