10 people dead as strong quake hits Indonesia island Lombok

 SANAA, July 29 (YPA) – A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the popular Indonesian island of  Lombok Sunday, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens, the Indonesian authorities said on Sunday.

The quake struck the island of Lombok in southeastern Indonesia, in the early morning while many people were sleeping, killing 10 people and injuring 40 others, many of them fled to the open fields away from the collapsed buildings.

The quake was felt by residents in neighboring Bali Island, the first tourist destination in Indonesia.

“We jumped from our beds to avoid anything might fall on our heads,” said Jean-Paul Folkert, who was awakened by the quake at a hotel in Lombok.

As authorities scrambled to assess the damage to buildings and infrastructure, popular trekking trails on the remote Mount Rinjani were closed because of landslides, according to the disaster agency.

The powerful quake, whose epicenter was at a depth of seven kilometers (four miles), hit at 6:47 am local time (2247 GMT Saturday), the United States Geological Survey said.

E.M