UK moves to assist tourists hit by quake
HOLIDAYMAKERS LEFT STRANDED
THE British Government is sending consular staff to earthquakeshattered Lombok after hundreds of tourists were left stranded.
A magnitude 7.0 quake wreaked destruction across Indonesian islands including Lombok, the Gili archipelago and Bali. Some 98 people were killed, although authorities expect the figure to rise, but none are yet believed to be foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, thousands made homeless are sheltering in tents.
The Foreign Office said staff were being sent to Lombok from the consulate in Bali and embassy in Jakarta to assist British tourists.
Extra flights have also been added to help holidaymakers who want to leave, a spokesman added.
Young families and couples on their honeymoon were among those caught up in the chaos. Helen Brady, 29, a writer from Manchester, said she and her boyfriend James Kelsall, 28, narrowly escaped death after the earthquake on Gili Trawangan brought buildings crashing down. She said: “All the lights went out and most buildings were demolished.”
Also affected was Take That singer Gary Barlow, who tweeted that he had been involved in seven earthquakes, but “none have felt more deep and raw” as this one.
Tourists flocking to the coast in search of rescue were confronted by mayhem. Footage showed crowds scrambling aboard a boat in a frenzied bid to escape.