TEHRAN, July 29 - A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 has struck an island east of the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali, leaving at least 10 people dead.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake, which struck Indonesia’s Lombok Island early on Sunday, was followed less than an hour later by a 5.4-magnitude aftershock in the same area.
The epicenter of the quake was about 110 km northeast of the island’s main city of Mataram and was very shallow, which amplified its effect.
The earthquake was on land and did not trigger any waves or a tsunami.
“The earthquake killed at least 10 people, some 40 people are injured and dozens of houses were damaged,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency. “We estimate the number will keep rising because we are not done collecting data.”
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In December 2004, a massive magnitude-9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
Volcanic activity is likely following the Sunday quake, and travelers are advised to avoid the Mount Agung crater in east Bali and the Mount Sinabung crater in Kalo Regency, North Sumatra.
Source: Press TV
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