7.0 earthquake rocks Indonesian island, tsunami warning issued

John Bacon USA TODAY

Published 1:55 p.m. UTC Aug 5, 2018

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake centered on the Indonesian island of Lombok rocked the tourist destination as well as nearby Bali, and authorities initially said the temblor could trigger a tsunami.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, and the tsunami warning was dropped a short time later. Social media posts from the scene, however, showed debris scattered on streets and sidewalks.

Lombok, about 50 miles east of Bali, was rocked by a magnitude 6.4 quake less than a week ago that killed 16 people. That quake injured more than 150 people, damaged thousands of homes and cut off power to many more.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency for Indonesia had reported scores of aftershocks in the hours after last week’s quake – and had warned that another major quake could be imminent.

Model Chrissy Teigen is vacationing in Bali with husband John Legend and their children. Teigen weeted "oh my god. Bali. trembling. So long." And then: "Oh man. We are on stilts. It felt like a ride. 15 solid seconds."

Iwan Asmara, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, said people poured out from their houses in panic to move to higher ground, particularly in Mataram and North Lombok district.

The quake struck at 6:46 p.m. local time, with an epicenter located 12 miles south-west of East Lombok. Lombok is known for its beaches, surfing, diving and snorkeling and is home to a sea turtle hatchery.

Indonesia, made of of thousands of islands, has a population of more than 260 million people. The archipelago is part of the Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific known for volcanic activity and earthquakes.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Read Again https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/08/05/indonesia-earthquake-earthquake-rocks-lombok-tsunami-possible/909788002/

Bagikan Berita Ini