10 killed as deadly earthquake strikes Indonesia’s Lombok island

At least ten people were killed on Sunday when a shallow 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's Lombok island. The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 6:47 am local time, at a depth of seven kilometers (four miles).

The epicentre was about 47 km northeast of the provincial capital Mataram, away from the main tourist spots on Lombok island. The earthquake was also felt on the nearby resort island of Bali.

Two people died in North Lombok and another in East Lombok, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency. Foreign tourists exited their lodgings but none were killed, he said.

A number of injuries were reported and dozens of buildings were damaged, he added, sharing pictures and videos of some of the damage on Twitter.

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.

Inputs by NH Web Desk