Lombok earthquake death toll reaches 555

JAKARTA: A string of deadly earthquakes that rocked Indonesia’s Lombok island recently killed 555 people and injured nearly 1,500, the disaster agency said yesterday, with hundreds of thousands left homeless.

The picturesque island next to holiday hotspot Bali was hit by two deadly quakes on July 29 and Aug 5. On Sunday, it was shaken by a string of fresh tremors and aftershocks, with the strongest measuring 6.9 magnitude.

Indonesia’s disaster agency yesterday said most of the deaths occured in the northern part of Lombok, with several killed in neighbouring Sumbawa island.

Many victims were killed by falling debris as the tremors rippled across the island, causing widespread devastation.

Whole communities were flattened, leaving cracked streets lined with rubble, caved-in roofs and collapsed buildings.

Some 390,000 people remain displaced after the quakes, the disaster agency said.

Aid organisations have vowed to step up humanitarian assistance on the island as devastated residents struggle in makeshift displacement camps.

They warned that access to food, shelter and clean water has been insufficient for some residents displaced by the disasters.

“We’ve deployed troops to isolated villages that are difficult to reach,” disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Rebuilding costs are estimated to top seven trillion rupiah (RM19.6 billion).