One Malaysian dead in Lombok earthquake
She and other Malaysians were at waterfalls
SIN Chew Daily deputy executive editor Datin Tai Siew Kim, 56, was killed following a landslide triggered by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia, yesterday.
She and 21 other Malaysians were among a group of 40 tourists at the Kelep Senaru Waterfalls in North Lombok when the quake struck.
Wisma Putra, in a statement, confirmed that it had received a report on the incident.
“The Foreign Ministry, via the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, received a report that a Malaysian citizen has been killed in the earthquake that hit East Lombok today (yesterday).”
“The ministry conveys its condolences.”
When contacted, Sin Chew Daily confirmed Tai’s death.
Bernama’s Mandarin Desk reported that Tai was holidaying in Lombok with her son and a group of her old school classmates.
They were on the island since March 14.
Her son, 20, was injured in the quake and is seeking treatment in a local hospital.
Tai’s husband, China Press editor-inchief Datuk Teoh Yang Khoon is scheduled to fly to Lombok this morning.
A report from the Jakarta Post, quoting a North Lombok regency administration spokesman, said most of the quake victims were Malaysians.
“There were about 40 tourists affected by the landslide. Most of the victims were Malaysians and domestic tourists.”
The earthquake, said the statement, also destroyed several houses.
According to the report, four ambulances were dispatched to the scene, as well as medical and rescue personnel. The team had rescued 19 people and recovered two bodies.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale, took place at 2.07pm Western Indonesia Time and the epicentre was 24km northeast of East Lombok-West Nusa Tenggara.
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said this was followed by another quake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale with the epicentre 7km northwest of East Lombok-West Nusa Tenggara at 2.09pm.
The earthquake was felt in North Lombok, Central Lombok, West Lombok and all the way to Denpasar in Bali.
The Bayan district was one of several areas badly damaged by a series of earthquakes that rocked the island between July and August last year.
The 2018 quake had also claimed the life of a Malaysian, Siti Nur Ismawida Ismail, 30.
Page 1 pic: Rescuers carrying a survivor on a stretcher following landslides in Bayan, Lombok, yesterday.