Islanders in mourning in aftermath of Lombok earthquake

On Indonesia’s earthquakedevastated Lombok island, people are reeling as they mourn more than 300 dead and sleep in makeshift shelters, but foremost in the minds of some is rebuilding the collapsed mosques that were the heart of their communities.

Dozens of villagers in Tanjung district prayed in a field yesterday in front of their former mosque and made plans for a replacement.

“We are very sad because our mosque we loved very much is now destroyed,” said Sunarto, a worshipper, holding back tears. “Our imam, who is our leader, also died in the mosque.” The magnitude 7.0 quake last Sunday killed at least 321 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 68,000 homes.