Lombok death toll reaches 319 as aftershocks trigger panic
THE death toll from the earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok jumped to 319 yesterday, as strong aftershocks triggered panic among survivors desperate for aid.
The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake on Sunday levelled tens of thousands of homes, mosques and businesses across Lombok, with relief agencies only just starting to reach survivors in some of the worst-hit areas.
“Our latest update is that 319 people died,” said Wiranto, Indonesia’s chief security minister, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, adding that rescue efforts were ongoing but were being complicated by aftershocks.
The number of people forced from their homes in the disaster has soared to 270,000, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the national disaster agency spokesman said, with around 1,000 people severely injured.
Most of the displaced are sleeping under tents or tarpaulins near their ruined homes or in evacuation shelters that are short of food, clean water and medical help.
Makeshift medical facilities have been set up to treat the injured.
Survivors of the quake have also been shaken by hundreds of aftershocks, including a shallow 5.9-magnitude quake yesterday which caused additional damage and led to people fleeing from their evacuation shelters crying and screaming.
“We were stuck in the traffic while delivering aid, suddenly it felt like our car was hit from behind, it was so strong,” witness Sri Laksmi told AFP news agency. “People in the street began to panic and got out of their cars, they ran in different directions in the middle of the traffic.”
Authorities and international relief groups have begun organising aid, but badly damaged bridges and roads on the island have slowed efforts to reach survivors in the mountainous north of Lombok, which bore the brunt of the earthquake.
Thousands of tourists have left the island, and in some parts of northern Lombok, survivors can be seen standing on the road with cardboard boxes asking for donations and food.