Thousands of people have been evacuated from the Indonesian island of Lombok after a powerful 6.9 magnitude quake on Sunday left more than 90 people dead.



BBC reports that boats have been sent to evacuate more than 1,000 tourists from the nearby Gili Islands.

“The main concern was to provide shelter for residents who were afraid to return to their homes,” Executive Director of Plan International Indonesia, Dini Widiastuti, told BBC

According to BBC, the aid agencies said “the impact was far bigger than another quake that hit Lombok last week, killing 16 people”.

The earthquake has brought down roads and bridges, making it difficult to reach them.

Electricity supply in the worst-affected areas has been cut off and telecommunication networks are not working.

Three C-130 Hercules aircraft and two helicopters were deployed to deliver tents and medical aid.

The spokesperson for the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said that “the northern area of Lombok had suffered massive damage”.

The death toll stands at 91, all Indonesians, but Mr Sutopo said “number would “definitely increase”. At least another 200 people have been injured.

The earthquake magnitude was 6.9, according to the US Geological Survey.

It was struck at 19:46 local time (11:46 GMT) on Sunday at a rather shallow depth of 31km (19 miles).

According to a BBC report, there have been more than 130 aftershocks since the quake hit.

Helen Milne, a witness and victim told the BBC that her daughter, Laura, from Oxfordshire in the UK, is on the island of Gili Trawangan.

She said: “They are stuck on the island and are reporting rioting, fighting, and people can’t get on boats. There’s no water, no food, the shops have been ransacked. It’s a rapidly deteriorating situation out there for them.”

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the Ring of Fire, the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles practically the entire Pacific Rim.




http://www.thengtimes.com/2018/08/thousands-evacuated-from-indonesian.html?m=1