The earthquake was also felt in the neighbouring island of Bali. Pictures showed damage to two shopping malls and a temple in Ubud. Bali airport, too, suffered minor damages. However, despite everything, flights from Lombok and Bali airports continued operations on Sunday evening.
At the time of writing, at least 91 people have been killed in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on August 5, 2018. According to a report by The Guardian, it was the second deadly quake to rock the popular tourist destination in a week and, as of Monday morning, more than 100 aftershocks have been recorded.
Damages have been widespread in the aftermath of the earthquake as well. Power outages and phone reception have yet to be restored, thus hampering rescue efforts and damage assessment.
The earthquake was also keenly felt in the neighbouring island of Bali. Pictures showed damage to two shopping malls and a temple in Ubud. Bali airport, too, suffered minor damages. However, despite everything, flights from Lombok and Bali airports continued operations on Sunday evening.
The United States Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was on land on Lombok, though initial reports put it just off the coast. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, a week after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake killed 14 people on Lombok and briefly stranded hundreds of hikers on the slopes of a volcano. The local disaster agency is still assessing the full extent of the damage across Lombok, as well as the Gili Islands.
For now, travellers are advised to avoid travel to the region. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular, released a travel advisory on Monday, encouraging Singaporeans to defer travels to Lombok following the earthquake and aftershocks.