REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded that the death toll following a powerful earthquake in Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province, had climbed to 105 as of 11 a.m. West Indonesian Time (WIB). Some 78 of the 105 fatalities are found in the areas of North Lombok District.

"Some 15 dead victims were also found in the areas of West Lombok District, four in Mataram City, three in East Lombok District, and two each in Central Lombok District and Denpasar City," the agency's spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho informed journalists here on Tuesday.

The magnitude-7 earthquake that rocked Lombok Island and several other parts of Indonesia, including Bali Island, had also caused injuries to 236 people, he remarked. The death toll is forecast to rise, as several people still remain buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

The evacuation process at a mosque in Lading-Lading Village, Tanjung Sub-district, North Lombok District, continues to find several people, who may have been buried under the rubble of its roof destroyed by the strong quake. The rescue workers have also deployed an excavator to facilitate the search for the victims. So far, two victims were found dead and another was found alive, Nugroho stated.

Nugroho said he had yet to know the exact number of participants in the Isha prayer at the mosque, whose roof was destroyed when the strong quake hit Lombok Island on Sunday evening. However, the local residents remarked that two or three rows of people were offering the Ihsa prayer when the quake shook the village, Nugroho stated.

In response to the impacts of this deadly disaster, President Joko Widodo had instructed his concerned ministers, particularly Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto and other stakeholders, to immediately address them. The immediate response includes the evacuation of injured and dead victims and dispatch of relief aid.

The central government claimed that it had properly handled the victims of the magnitude-7 earthquake by coordinating with all related parties, including the provincial and district governments, the military and police, as well as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The central government also continues its efforts to evacuate the victims, who may remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed and damaged buildings and provide quick and appropriate health services to survivors.

According to Wiranto, a total of seven thousand foreign tourists had been evacuated from the tourist areas of Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, and Gili Meno. Most evacuees would have transited in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, he stated while observing the evacuation process at Bangsal Seaport in North Lombok District on Tuesday.

The government provided them vessels, passenger buses, and additional flights to enable them to leave the quake-hit island, he noted, adding that both domestic and foreign tourists were given equal and fair treatment.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika