REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The foreign ministry has invited foreign envoys to a briefing on the latest developments in Lombok following a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake that had hit the island on August 5, 2018. The briefing WAS organized by the consular directorate of the foreign ministry.

Envoys of 30 foreign countries and officials of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, the National Search and Rescue Agency, and the Meteorology, Geophysics, and Climatology Agency attended the briefing. The Indonesian officials briefed the foreign envoys on rescue efforts, including evacuation of the affected local residents and foreigners from Lombok, the foreign ministry noted in a statement, here, Wednesday.

On the occasion, the foreign envoys expressed their condolences and sympathies to families of the dead victims as well as to those injured in the natural disaster. They also praised the Indonesian government over its disaster mitigation and rescue efforts following the earthquake.

The earthquake, measuring 7.0 on Richter scale, which rocked Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province, at 6:46 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB) on August 5, 2018, had killed 134 people, injured 236, and displaced over 10 thousand others. Moreover, it had destroyed a total of 4,347 buildings.

The damaged buildings were found in six sub-districts, first assistant of the Mataram City Regional Secretariat Lalu Martawang noted in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday.

Martawang further stated that damaged buildings, including mosques and school buildings, were divided into three categories: 531 heavily damaged structures, 1,522 moderately damaged, and 2,294 slightly damaged.

As many as 230 aftershocks had jolted Lombok Island since the powerful earthquake. Of the total 230 aftershocks, some 16 were strongly felt by local inhabitants, Hary Tjatmiko, spokesman of the BMKG, noted in a statement.

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