Magnitude 7 earthquake hits Indonesia, prompts tsunami warnings

Jakarta: A strong earthquake struck Indonesia’s popular tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, triggering a tsunami warning, one week after another quake in the same area killed more than a dozen people.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the latest quake caused people to flee their homes and move to higher ground. Authorities said the quake may have caused some damage.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.0 quake struck early Sunday evening at a depth of 10.5 kilometers (6 miles). Its epicenter was about 2 kilometers (1 mile) east-southeast of Loloan.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning after the quake struck.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told KompasTV that the quake strongly jolted Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province, and may have caused damage there.

He said the quake was also felt in parts of neighboring Bali island.

Iwan Asmara, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, said people poured out from their houses in panic to move to higher ground, particularly in Mataram and North Lombok district.

A magnitude 6.4 quake hit Lombok on July 29, killing 16 people.

Like Bali, Lombok is known for pristine beaches and mountains. Hotels and other buildings in both locations are not allowed to exceed the height of coconut trees.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.