A strong earthquake has struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, killing at least 98 people and shaking neighbouring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen.
The magnitude-6.9 quake struck at a depth of 15 kilometres early on Sunday evening in the northern part of Lombok, triggering a brief tsunami warning and damaging buildings as far away as Denpasar in Bali. It was followed by aftershocks as strong as magnitude-5.4.
On Lombok, thousands fled from their homes to gather for safety in open spaces, but a tsunami warning was lifted after waves just 15 centimetres high were recorded in three villages.
There are also reports of fatalities on the Gili Islands, situated off Lombok’s north-west coast.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said most of the deaths were in North Lombok district.
Thousands of houses were damaged, and most of those killed were hit by collapsed houses, he said. The agency said 236 people were injured.
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