The popular Indonesian tourist island of Lombok has been left in a state of chaos after a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit yesterday morning.
The shallow quake which struck at a depth of seven kilometres has already claimed 14 lives, left hundereds of people injured and damaged more than 1000 homes.
Source: Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency
The quake was also felt in Bali but no damage or casualties were reported from the island.
The Gaurdian said tourists near Senggigi, the gateway to the popular Gili Islands resorts, reported strong shocks.
“We jumped out of our beds to avoid anything falling on our heads,” tourist Jean-Paul Volckaert who was woken by the quake at the Puncak hotel said.
“We were very surprised as the water in the pools was swaying like a wild sea. There were waves in the pools but only for 20 to 30 seconds.”
Tourist Jean-Paul Volckaert
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency confirmed that the islands had experienced more than 100 aftershocks in the four hours after the quake.
The earthquake has also caused a landslide on the popular Mount Rinjani, resulting in the closure of the mountain’s hiking path.
Hundreds of climbers have since been evacuated from the Rinjani National Park.
The ABC said that the Australian Consulate General in Bali had confirmed that no Australians were believed to be among those affected at this stage.
The Consulate General went on to say that they have been in contact with local authorities and are monitoring the situation closely.
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