At least 82 killed by 7.

0 quake in Indonesia's Lombok, Bali islands

By Nyimas Laula

DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - At least 82 people were killed when Indonesia's

resort island of Lombok was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Sunday.

The powerful quake triggered panic among tourists and residents, and was also felt
on the neighbouring island of Bali.

On Lombok, thousands fled from their homes to gather in emergency shelters in open
spaces, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The area continued to be rattled by aftershocks from the quake, which occurred days
after a 6.4 tremor hit Lombok on July 29, killing 14 people and injuring 162
people.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency placed Sunday's death toll at 82, more than
doubling its earlier figure of 32. Many of the dead were from northern and western
parts of Lombok.

Most of the victims were killed by falling rubble, the agency said, adding that
hundreds other were injured and thousands of houses were damaged.

"The night condition and some disconnected communication line pose some challenges
in the field. Death count is expected to increase still," it said in a statement
early on Monday local time.

Singapore Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who was in the Lombok town of
Mataram at the time of the quake, wrote on Facebook that his 10th-floor hotel room
shook violently and walls cracked.

"It was quite impossible to stand up. Heard screams," he wrote. "Came out, and made
my way down a staircase, while building was still shaking. Power went out for a
while. Lots of cracks, fallen doors."

The quake struck Lombok in the early evening at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

Most of Lombok suffered power cuts, local media reported.

Travellers at the international airports in Lombok and Bali were thrown into panic
and there was minor damage to the buildings but operations were not disrupted,
officials said.

The quake was felt for several seconds in Bali, where people ran out of houses,
hotels and restaurants.

"All the hotel guests were running, so I did too. People filled the streets," said
Michelle Lindsay, an Australian tourist. "A lot of officials were urging people not
to panic."

Other witnesses said the initial quake grew in intensity over several seconds,
rattling windows and doors, and there were many aftershocks.

The country's disaster management agency urged people to stay away from the sea.
However, an initial warning of a tsunami with waves of up to half a metre was later
withdrawn.

Saffron Amis, a British student visiting the Gili Islands off the northwest coast
of Lombok, told Reuters by text message that dozens of tourists were evacuated to a
hill after the quake.

(Additional reporting by Tabita Diela, Jessica Damiana, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and
Kanupriya Kapoor; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor and John Chalmers; Editing by Bill
Trott and Susan Thomas)

At least 82 killed by 7.0 quake in Indonesia's Lombok, Bali islands

By Nyimas Laula

DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - At least 82 people were killed when Indonesia's

resort island of Lombok was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Sunday.

The powerful quake triggered panic among tourists and residents, and was also felt
on the neighbouring island of Bali.

On Lombok, thousands fled from their homes to gather in emergency shelters in open
spaces, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The area continued to be rattled by aftershocks from the quake, which occurred days
after a 6.4 tremor hit Lombok on July 29, killing 14 people and injuring 162
people.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency placed Sunday's death toll at 82, more than
doubling its earlier figure of 32. Many of the dead were from northern and western
parts of Lombok.

Most of the victims were killed by falling rubble, the agency said, adding that
hundreds other were injured and thousands of houses were damaged.

"The night condition and some disconnected communication line pose some challenges
in the field. Death count is expected to increase still," it said in a statement
early on Monday local time.

Singapore Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who was in the Lombok town of
Mataram at the time of the quake, wrote on Facebook that his 10th-floor hotel room
shook violently and walls cracked.

"It was quite impossible to stand up. Heard screams," he wrote. "Came out, and made
my way down a staircase, while building was still shaking. Power went out for a
while. Lots of cracks, fallen doors."

The quake struck Lombok in the early evening at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

Most of Lombok suffered power cuts, local media reported.

Travellers at the international airports in Lombok and Bali were thrown into panic
and there was minor damage to the buildings but operations were not disrupted,
officials said.

The quake was felt for several seconds in Bali, where people ran out of houses,
hotels and restaurants.

"All the hotel guests were running, so I did too. People filled the streets," said
Michelle Lindsay, an Australian tourist. "A lot of officials were urging people not
to panic."

Other witnesses said the initial quake grew in intensity over several seconds,
rattling windows and doors, and there were many aftershocks.

The country's disaster management agency urged people to stay away from the sea.
However, an initial warning of a tsunami with waves of up to half a metre was later
withdrawn.

Saffron Amis, a British student visiting the Gili Islands off the northwest coast
of Lombok, told Reuters by text message that dozens of tourists were evacuated to a
hill after the quake.

(Additional reporting by Tabita Diela, Jessica Damiana, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and
Kanupriya Kapoor; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor and John Chalmers; Editing by Bill
Trott and Susan Thomas)