The death toll from a powerful earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok has risen to 98. Nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. There are 2,000 tourists on the neighboring Gili Islands, and efforts are underway to rescue them. Thousands of residents have also been evacuated to safer places.
Lombok was hit by another earthquake on Sunday (August 5), after shaking the island a week ago. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale. A tsunami warning was issued.
On Tuesday (August 7), international media outlets, citing local c level contact list officials, said that even though two days have passed since the earthquake, public fear and anxiety have not subsided. Displaced people are afraid to return to their homes.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency, said the damage in northern Lombok was "very extensive." Three C-130 Hercules planes and two helicopters were working on the rescue operation. Rescue workers were setting up tents to provide shelter for the displaced. They were also providing health care.
He said that the earthquake has disrupted communication systems, adding that electricity and telecommunication systems have also been cut off in the affected areas. The death toll has risen to 98. The number could rise further. In addition, 230 people have been injured.
Another government official said that 80 percent of the area in northern Lombok was affected, with the main area of Mataram being the worst affected. Medical staff were trying to provide the best possible care in the affected hospitals.
Meanwhile, about 2,000 tourists, many of them foreigners, are still stranded on the Gili Islands near Lombok. Authorities have sent boats to rescue them.
Locals told the media about Sunday's earthquake, "Everyone was running in panic during the earthquake. Hundreds of houses were damaged. Communication and electrical connections were cut off, which are still in that state."
Locals also say that this earthquake is stronger than last week's earthquake, which killed 16 people in Lombok last week.
President Joko Widodo has ordered the reinforcement of rescue operations, sending more flights to affected areas to reduce damage and increase relief distribution.