On 17 March 2019, an earthquake measuring 5.6 struck the island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. The earthquake triggered a landslide, killing six and injuring nearly 200 others.

Earthquake

The earthquake has its epicenter in

East Lombok Regency East Lombok Regency is a regency ( id, Kabupaten) of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok, of which it comprises the eastern third (including minor offshore islands); the administrative capital is the ...

, with a reported magnitude and depth of 5.6 and according to the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS), while the Indonesian

Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency ( id, Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, abbreviated BMKG) is an Indonesian non-departmental government agency for meteorology, climatology, and geophysics. History Its history bega ...

(BMKG) reported a magnitude of 5.4 and a depth of . BMKG attributed the earthquake to a local fault in the vicinity of

Mount Rinjani Mount Rinjani ( id, Gunung Rinjani) is an active volcano in Indonesia on the island of Lombok. Administratively the mountain is in the Regency of North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesian: ''Nusa Tenggara Barat'', NTB). It rises to , maki ...

. Aftershocks exceeding 5.0 were recorded.

Casualties

The earthquake caused a landslide and several rockfalls that struck a group of around forty tourists visiting a waterfall in East Lombok, killing six of them. Among the six deaths were two Malaysian tourists and a 14-year old boy. 26 other Malaysian tourists were also injured. Four people were injured when a house collapsed. In total the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management reported 182 injuries in East and

North Lombok North Lombok Regency ( id, Kabupaten Lombok Utara) is a regency of the Indonesian Province of West Nusa Tenggara. It is located on the island of Lombok and the capital is Tanjung situated on the northwest coast of the island. The regency cover ...

regencies.

Damage

According to Indonesian Social Minister

Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (born 3 January 1969) is an Indonesian politician. He is the current Minister of Industry in the Republic of Indonesia, appointed on 24 August 2019. Early life, and education Agus Kartasasmita was born on 3 January 19 ...

, 83,000 homes were damaged; including 4,400 homes heavily damaged.

Reactions

Malaysian Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

extended his condolences to the families of the two Malaysians who were killed in the quake-triggered landslide.

References

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