INDONESIA—A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Lombok Island in Indonesia on Sunday, August 5 killing 91 people. The earthquake triggered a tsunami warning and comes about a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in the region. That earthquake left buildings damaged and killed 16 people.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located a mile southeast of Loloan, according to the United States Geological Survey. Indonesia is particularly susceptible to earthquakes because it is located in the Ring of Fire.
According to earthquake.usgs.gov, the strongest earthquake on the 6.0 scale can cause, “Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.”
The quake had a depth of about 19 miles and caused damage to thousands of buildings. According to National Disaster Mitigation Agency Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, most of the deaths were caused by debris from damaged homes.
According to reports, after the initial earthquake, Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency issued a Tsunami warning, which was later dismissed after small waves hit only three villages. After the first earthquake, there were aftershocks with a 5.4 magnitude.
The Indonesian Red Cross tweeted, “The dark won’t stop us to help people in #Lombok, after a second #Earthquake struck Lombok earlier this evening. #PMISiapBantu.”
Model Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted after the previous earthquake, tweeted “another aftershock just now. probably the 8th one we have felt since the big one last night. we are safe, up high and nothing around us. thinking about everyone around us and in Lombok especially.”
