Indonesia earthquake: 91 dead as Hundreds await rescue

Samcilla Baakojr August 6, 2018

This handout picture taken on August 6, 2018 and released by Indonesia Water Police shows hundreds of people attempting to leave Gili Trawangan, north of neighbouring Lombok island, a day after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the area.

An operation is underway to evacuate thousands of tourists after a deadly earthquake that rocked some of Indonesia’s most idyllic islands late Sunday night.

At least 98 people, all Indonesian nationals, were killed when the 6.9 magnitude quake struck the popular tourist island of Lombok, Indonesian authorities said Monday. More than 200 were also injured.

The majority of those killed in the quake were hit by falling debris from collapsing buildings, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head of Indonesia’s disaster management department.

Indonesia earthquake: 91 dead as Hundreds await rescue

Hospital patients in their beds are moved to an emergency tent outside of the Tanjung hospital after an earthquake struck northern Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, 06 August 2018.

In total, an estimated 20,000 people have been displaced by the massive earthquake, Nugroho said.

Dramatic video tweeted by authorities showed hundreds of people, many believed to be foreign vacationers, crammed onto a beach on the island of Gili Trawangan as evacuation measures got underway.

Emergency personnel were racing to evacuate thousands of tourists from the three small Gili Islands as night began to fall. The islands, famous for their white sandy beaches and clear waters, are located near the epicenter of the quake on Lombok.

Cracked concrete and damaged houses are pictured in Pemenang in northern Lombok on August 6, 2018, a day after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the area.

Earlier rescue efforts were hampered by shallow waters, but rising sea waters mean nine ships are now expected to dock on the islands.

So far, up to 2,700 tourists have been moved from the Gili Islands, according to Nugroho. He added that Lombok’s airport was now open around the clock and had significantly increased its flight schedule.

The epicenter of the quake was in northern Lombok, a more residential, less developed part of the island. The majority of Lombok’s tourist resorts are on the island’s southern coast.

British tourist Mike Bennett, stranded on the island of Gili Meno along with around 100 other people, told CNN he faced an anxious night ahead.