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Deadly earthquake strikes Indonesia's Lombok island

July 29, 2018

At least 14 people have died on the island, with a large number of buildings destroyed. The island is popular with tourists.

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A villager walks through the ruins of a collapsed home in Lombok Timur, Indonesia
Image: Reuters/Antara Foto/A. Subaidi

At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured on Sunday when a shallow 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's Lombok island, officials said.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 6:47 am local time (22:47 UTC Saturday) at a depth of seven kilometers (four miles).

Map showing location of earthquake

Read more:  Why are ferry accidents common in Indonesia?

The epicenter was about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Mataram, away from the main tourist spots on the island. The earthquake was also felt on the nearby resort island of Bali.

East Lombok was worst hit with at least 10 deaths, including a tourist from Malaysia, said an official from Indonesia's disaster agency. He said at least 162 people were injured, including 67 who were hospitalized with serious injuries. 

Mount Rinjani volcano had also been closed off due to landslides.

Nearly 50 aftershocks were felt. No tsunami warning was issued.

Indonesia is located on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and regularly experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity.

In 2004, a devastating magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of the western Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered tsunamis. Some 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean were killed, including 168,000 in Indonesia.

bik,cw/bw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)