August 6, 2018
Indonesia’s resort islands of Bali and Lombok were rocked by a magnitude 7 earthquake on Sunday with scores dead and widespread property damage reported.
The quake has killed 82 and left hundreds wounded, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said early Monday (Aug 6), with thousands of buildings damaged.
The quake, which struck the northern coast of Lombok at a depth of 15km, comes a week after a magnitude 6.4 quake killed 14 people on the island and prompted a large-scale evacuation of a volcano popular with hikers.
Indonesian officials had earlier issued a tsunami warning and urged people to move away from the ocean. “Please go to a place with higher ground, while remaining calm and not panicking,” Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the agency for meteorology, climatology and geophysics, told local TV.
Seawater had entered two villages as high as 10cm and 13cm, Karnawati said later.
The warning was later lifted at 8.25pm local time, with National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho saying small tsunamis between 9-13 cm were detected on Lombok. Mr Sutopo added that the agency is expecting a high casualty toll.
In a high alert advisory, Singapore’s National Environment Agency said, “There are no reports of tremors in Singapore. Regional Tsunami Warning Centres have forecast that a local tsunami may be generated near the epicentre, but Singapore is unlikely to be affected.”
Indonesia’s airport operator has said that airports on Bali and Lombok islands are operating normally after the quake, despite minor damage.
“Both airports are operating as normal, now we are cleaning up the airports. Some parts of the ceiling have fallen off, but no one is hurt,” said Handy Heryudhitiawan, corporate secretary at operator Angkasa Pura 1, which runs both airports.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, Singapore Airlines said: “Singapore Airlines flights to Bali and SilkAir flights to Lombok are currently due to operate as scheduled. As the situation remains fluid, customers are advised to check the status of their flights on our website.”
The quake was felt for several seconds in Bali, where people ran out of houses, hotels and restaurants.
Singaporean tourist Ramya Ragupathi, 37, was just finishing a massage in Ubud when the quake struck at 7.45pm local time.
“I was a little shaken. It was quite intense. I felt really woozy, and at first thought it was because of the massage. But then the receptionist got everyone to move and evacuate,” she said.
Australian tourist Michelle Lindsay said: “All the hotel guests were running so I did too. People filled the streets. A lot of officials were urging people not to panic.
Other witnesses said the quake got stronger over several seconds and rattled windows and doors in their frames.
Residents in Lombok’s main city Mataram described a strong jolt that sent people scrambling out of buildings.
“Everyone immediately ran out of their homes, everyone is panicking,” Iman, a local resident in Mataram, told AFP.
Lights were swaying and all the staff and guests in the Ikan Bakar Pesona restaurant stood up when they felt the quake.
“I felt giddy,” said Singaporean doctor Edison Lauw, 54, who felt mild tremors in Banyuwangi, Java.
Separately, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra on Sunday afternoon, but no tsunami alert was issued following the quake, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has reported.
BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the epicentre was 38km south-west of Mentawai Islands and around 22km beneath the seabed.
The earthquake rocked the islands, a favourite among surfers, at 3.56pm local time (4.56pm Singapore time), and strong vibrations lasted for several seconds. No damage or casualties have been reported so far.
Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide and many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
In 2010, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake caused a tsunami on the islands – displacing more than 2,000 families living on three affected islands. South Pagai was the worst-affected island, with 900 families who had to be relocated.
In 2004 a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.