An earthquake measuring 7.0 struck Lombok in the early evening hours on Sunday, killing at least 82.
An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale slammed Northern Lombok on Sunday evening, killing at least 82 people. It comes just a week after an earthquake that measured 6.4 killed seventeen.
The most recent quake was felt as far away as Denpasar, Bali, where buildings were damaged. On Lombok, however, the damage was much more extensive. A tsunami warning went into effect briefly but was lifted when waves about five inches high were recorded by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.
While officials have stated that many of the dead were from northern and western Lombok, it is likely there are more. Due to blackouts, the actual extent of the damage is proving difficult to assess.
Since Indonesia is part of the “Ring of Fire,” a series of fault lines and volcanoes, it is particularly prone to earthquakes like this. In December of 2004, the Boxing Day earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed 230,000 people across more than 10 countries.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Indonesia right now following today’s devastating earthquake,” wrote the WSL on Instagram. “The region holds a special place in the hearts of surfers from all over the world and we hope all local and visiting surfers remain safe at this time. We’ll be looking to support the recovery in any way we can.”
We’ll have more as the story develops.
