Strong quake rocks Indonesia’s Lombok island; 19 dead

A strong earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, killing at least 19 people and shaking neighbouring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen. The latest quake, which triggered a brief tsunami warning, damaged buildings as far away as Denpasar on Bali, including a department store and the airport terminal, where ceiling panels were shaken loose, authorities said.

The quake, recorded at magnitude 7.0 by the US Geological Survey, struck early Sunday evening at a depth of 10.5 kms in the northern part of Lombok.

A tsunami warning was lifted after waves just 15 centimetres high were recorded in three villages, said the head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, Dwikorita Karnawati.