Honeymoon quake ordeal
A TEACHER enjoying his honeymoon in Bali has spoken of “panic” after the holiday island was rocked by an earthquake.
Reports indicate at least 142 people have died and hundreds more injured following the quake on Bali and Lombok on Sunday.
The scale of the devastation was felt strongest on Lombok, with thousands of buildings badly damaged or collapsed, and large parts of the island left without communications and electricity.
More than 120 aftershocks were recorded after the quake, which was initially measured at a magnitude of seven but later revised to 6.9.
Greg Larmouth and wife Jade, from Seaton Delaval, were enjoying a meal out on Jalan Hanoman in the town of Ubud when the ground began to shake beneath their feet.
Describing the events that followed, Greg, 28, said: “At first I wasn’t sure what was actually happening, and it felt like someone was jumping on an uneven floor. Then Jade said it was an earthquake.
“At this point the entire restaurant began to panic, and the workers all began evacuating us from the building and out on to the street.
“There were cars, scooters and a few other buildingsworth of people out on the road.
“It lasted maybe a minute or two, and you could see the restaurant shaking during this time, then the staff began to get people back inside.”
Calm was restored and the couple finished their meal and returned to the hotel, when approximately 30 minutes later the town was hit by an aftershock.
Greg added: “By this point we were upstairs in our hotel room and the TV was shaking on the wall.
“We quickly got downstairs to the lobby where the staff and a group of Italian holidaymakers also staying at the hotel were congregating. Thankfully, the hotel staff were a lot more calm than the restaurant staff and assured everyone it was safe to return upstairs.
“We were scheduled to travel to Gili Islands later this week, but given this is the epicentre of the latest quake we’re now contemplating whether to leave Bali early.”
It is estimated 1,000 foreign and domestic tourists were evacuated in boats from the three Gili islands off the north west coast of Lombok.
Also affected were celebrities including Take That singer Gary Barlow and model Chrissy Teigen.
Barlow wrote on Twitter that he had been involved in seven earthquakes, but “none have felt more deep and raw” as Sunday’s in Bali.
Teigen, who was travelling with singer husband John Legend and their two children, wrote on Twitter: “Oh man. We are on stilts. It felt like a ride.” Government moves to help
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At this point the entire restaurant began to panic, and the workers all began evacuating us Greg Larmouth