Strong aftershock hit Indonesia

A strong aftershock has shaken the Indonesian island of Lombok where tens of thousands of people are homeless after a powerful earthquake.

Indonesia’s geological agency said the earthquake in the afternoon had a magnitude of 6.2. It was shallow earthquake, which was at a depth of 12 kilometres, centred in the northwest of the island. It said it did not have the potential to cause a tsunami after the shock.

Four days after a massive earthquake killed at least 347 people on the Indonesian island of Lombok, a 5.9 magnitude tremor hit the island, sending frightened residents onto the streets. The seismic event was considered as an aftershock of a 6.9 magnitude quake on Sunday which flattened homes and stranded thousands of people on Lombok’s northern coast and the nearby Fili island.

Endri Susanto, who runs a nongovernmental organization assisting with relief efforts, said the earthquake felt very strong in Mataram, a city on Lombok’s west coast. He said that, people started screaming when the quake hit. Soon after, ambulances started whizzing by, sounding their sirens. Houses had started to crack.

Afifin Hadi, the spokesman of The Indonesian Red Cross, said that tens of thousands people left homeless by Sunday’s quake. Most of them need clean water and tarpaulins.

“The agency has sent 20 water vehicles to five remote areas, including one village of about 1,200 households. People are always saying they need water and tarps. We are looking for people with untreated injuries.”