Lombok earthquake: Indonesia death toll hits 141 as tourists injured while fleeing
THE Indonesia earthquake that rocked the island of Lombok has seen the death toll rise to 142 as the Red Cross swooped in to help thousands trapped in the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude tremor.
By CARLY READ
Express.co.uk
Mon, Aug 6, 2018
In the second major quake to hit the island in a week, more than 200 people have been injured, according to the Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BMPB), Indonesia’s disaster relief agency.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers work their way through the rubble of 13,000 destroyed homes.
The largest number of people killed were in North Lombok where 72 people died and 63 were injured, BMPD said.
A person died on the Gili islands and two were killed in the neighbouring island of Bali where the quake destroyed buildings and smashed cars after debris fell onto vehicles.
No tourists have been killed, but many were injured in stampedes to safety and while trying to get onto boats to escape, fearing a tsunami would hit.
Long lines formed at the island’s main airport in Mataram as tourists cut their holidays short.
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo declared a state of emergency for the devastated nation and expressed “deep sorrow for our brothers” before ordering the coordination of all military ranks.
He said: “This is so that we can handle immediately the evacuation of the dead and injured victims, as well as the logistics among others.
“There are also many tourists, so I have ordered the Coordinating Minister to deal with them as well and not let there be lacking in essential services, especially relating to flight schedules.”
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