A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist destination of Lombok in Indonesia on July 29, killing three people and damaging many buildings, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said.
Fallen debris is seen following an earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia, July 29, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. Courtesy of Rifqi/Social Media via REUTERS
The quake hit Lombok island early in the morning when many people were still sleeping. Twelve people were injured and many fled into open fields away from collapsed buildings.
“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.
“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 told Reuters via telephone.
The quake was centered 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the city of Mataram on the northern part of Lombok island, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Around 43 quakes were recorded after the initial 6.4 magnitude tremor, with the largest aftershock recorded at 5.7 magnitude, said the disaster mitigation agency.
The major quake was felt on the neighboring island of Bali, Indonesia’s top tourist destination.
The quake may have also impacted Mount Rinjani national park, a popular trekking destination.
Local news Metro TV reported that people were still sleeping when the first quake hit and they quickly fled their houses in panic. Most of the people were still waiting outside their houses in fear of aftershocks, Metro TV said.
The earthquake struck at 6:47 a.m. on Sunday (2247 GMT on Saturday) and was only 4.35 miles deep (7 km), a shallow depth that would have amplified its effect.
The earthquake was on land and did not trigger any waves or tsunami.
