MATARAM, Indonesia, August 6, 2018 (News Wires) — A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, killing at least 91 people and shaking neighbouring Bali, as authorities said on Monday that rescuers still hadn't reached some hard-hit areas and the death toll could climb. It was the second deadly quake in a week to hit Lombok. A July 29 quake killed 16 people and damaged hundreds of houses, some of which collapsed in Sunday evening's magnitude 7.0 temblor, killing those inside. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference that damage was "massive" in the north of Lombok. Some areas still hadn't been reached, with rescuers hampered by collapsed bridges, electricity blackouts and damaged roads blocked with debris. Sutopo said the death toll had risen to 91 and more than 200 people were seriously injured. Thousands of homes and buildings were damaged and 20,000 people are in temporary shelters. The quake, measured at a magnitude of 7.0 by Indonesian authorities and a still-powerful 6.9 by the US Geological Survey, struck early on Sunday evening at a depth of 10.5 kilometres in the northern part of Lombok. Video showed screaming people running in panic from houses in a Bali neighbourhood and vehicles rocking. On Lombok, soldiers and other rescuers carried injured people on stretchers and carpets to evacuation centres. Many victims were treated outdoors because hospitals were damaged. "People panicked and scattered on the streets, and buildings and houses that had been damaged by the previous earthquake had become more damaged and collapsed," Sutopo said.
