Earthquake kills 14 on tourist island of Lombok in Indonesia
(CNN)Fourteen people have died after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist island of Lombok in Indonesia Sunday, damaging more than 1,000 homes and sending residents fleeing for safety.
The earthquake hit early in the morning, at about 5.45 a.m. local time (6:45 p.m. Saturday ET),the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, at a shallow depth of just 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles).
Speaking to CNN, the owner of a hotel in West Lombok said Sunday's quake was the strongest he had experienced on the island.
An Indonesian man examines the remains of houses, after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck, in Lombok on July 29.
According to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, at least 162 people have been injured by the tremors, which occurred about 140 miles east of Bali.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is trying to determine how many people are missing. Volunteers joined police and rescue teams to assist the wounded and look for survivors.
Among the dead were a Malaysian citizen, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Search and Rescue agency, with casualties mainly found in Lombok's north and east districts.
Lombok
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Earthquake hit as people slept
Jean Paul Volchaert, who owns the Puncak Hotel on Lombok, told CNN that the area gets small earthquakes "every month or so."
"We were still sleeping when we felt the earthquake, so we rushed outside of our building. There was about 20 seconds of shaking, the water in the pool was making quite large waves," he said.
Villagers walk through a house that was damaged after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in Lombok on July 29.
"Luckily there was no damage to our building, our neighborhood was relatively untouched, but I know there have been casualties and a lot of damage in the north of the island," Volchaert said. "We felt aftershocks for two hours after the initial earthquake, so we're worried that there could be more damage caused."
The Indonesian Red Cross said on Twitter that Lombok's Sembalun district appeared to be the hardest-hit. The organization said its teams were helping with search and rescue.
News Courtesy: www.cnn.com
