Death toll in Lombok quake climbs to 91

Jakarta  (Antaranews Lampung) - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed that the death toll in a magnitude-7 earthquake that rocked Lombok and Sumbawa Islands in West Nusa Tenggara Province on Sunday night had reached 91.

 "Some 209 were injured, thousands of houses were damaged, and tens of thousands were displaced. This is temporary data. The figure is likely to increase, as the BNPB is conducting data collection," Head of the agency's Data, Information, and Public Relations Centre Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated here on Monday.

He noted that most deaths were caused by buildings collapsing due to earthquakes.

Some also died of shock, suffering a stroke after the earthquake struck.

All those confirmed dead in the earthquake will receive Rp15 million as compensation from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Those injured will receive as much as Rp2.5 million.

The quake, which rattled the two islands at 6:46 p.m. local time on Sunday, was centered at 8.3 degrees southern latitude and 116.48 degrees eastern longitude, and at a depth of 15 kilometers.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had issued a tsunami early warning shortly after the quake and lifted it at 9:25 p.m. local time on Sunday.

 Meanwhile, the BMKG had recorded 73 aftershocks as of 00:00 Monday after the earthquake rocked Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province on Sunday night.

 The aftershocks had a steadily declining intensity, the BMKG had noted in a statement received early Monday.

The BMKG had earlier stated that the magnitude-7 quake was the main shock in the series of quakes that had hit the province earlier.

The magnitude-7 quake had almost the same epicenter as the magnitude-6.4 quake that hit the province on July 29 this year.

Judging by its epicenter, hypo center depth, and source mechanism, the quake was shallow due to the movement of the Flores back arc thrust fault.