New Delhi:
At least people were killed and dozens injured after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia’s popular tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, according to officials.
The US Geological Survey said the tremor, off the north coast of Lombak, struck 10km (6.21 miles) underground.
The quake was followed by two light to moderate secondary quakes and nearly two dozen aftershocks.
Also Read | Magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Lombok Island; Tsunami alert issued
This was the second earthquake on Lombok in a week. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook the island on July 29, killing 16 people.
“The latest data we have 19 people are dead at Tanjung Hospital (North Lombok),” Agus Hendra Sanjaya, Mataram search and rescue spokesman, told AFP.
Mataram added that at least 52 people were injured.
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake but it was lifted several hours later.
Also Read | Indonesia earthquake: 10 dead, dozens injured after magnitude 6.4 quake hits Lombok island
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) area of intense seismic and volcanic activity where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
In December 2004, a massive earthquake of 9.1 magnitude off Sumatra triggered a tsunami, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
(With inputs from agencies)
